


Fate Remade

by Spunky0ne, Timewaster123456789



Series: Pieces of a Shattered Moon [12]
Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-21 04:37:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 54,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20687621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spunky0ne/pseuds/Spunky0ne, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timewaster123456789/pseuds/Timewaster123456789
Summary: When young Hajime is endangered, the Spirit King's beloved returns out of death to protect him, but will Hajime's return spell disaster for the royal and Kuchiki families?





	1. Beneath the Waterfall

_In a clearing in the woods of the Spirit King's Dimension, beside the calm, blue lake and beneath the waterfall, a tall, pale skinned man with long waves of raven black hair and dark blue eyes, tilted his head back, letting the water run over the back of his head and down the length of his straight back. He tossed his head and gently shook the water out of his hair. A shadowed form approached him and wrapped warm arms around him, nuzzling his neck gently and letting his hands rove all over the noble's lovely skin._

"_Hajime," the king said affectionately, "you know when you do this, I cannot resist you."_

_The noble sank more deeply into the king's embrace._

"_I do not recall saying you needed to resist. You are my king. If there is something you want from me, by all means, it is yours."_

_The king turned the young noble and pulled him closer, bringing their mouths together warmly. Hajime's mouth opened and the king slipped his tongue inside, gently exploring every inch of its sweet depths, curling their tongues together, while a searching hand drifted down and laced their fingers lightly together. Hajime sighed with contentment, sending a tremor through the king._

"_Hajime…" the king breathed in his ear._

_The hot breath tickled the noble's neck and sent a shiver through him. The king pushed him back against the rocks and plundered his mouth again, lingering inside, stroking every surface with light, delicate touches. The noble moaned softly._

"_Ah…my king, when you do this, I cannot resist you!" Hajime breathed._

_The king tightened his embrace._

"_Then let us not resist. Let us make the most of this lovely day, my Hajime."_

_He pulled the young lord down into the shallow water and Hajime laid back, enjoying the riled motion of it on his skin, and the light misted spray from the waterfall. The king laid next to him, leaning over him and continuing the warm exploration of his mouth and the gentle brush of searching hands on the noble's soft skin. Hajime's responding touches were enticing and respectfully placed. One did not make love, he thought, to the maker of all things, without every move being very much by his leave. The king, it seemed, loved both the young lord's touches and the loving respect with which they were offered and it ignited a desire in him to show his appreciation with the continuation of this genuine and passionate exchange._

_His hands traveled the curves of Hajime's body, much as they had in the creation of the very first of the nobles in his lineage, and the king silently congratulated himself on having made these nobles well, both strong defenders of justice in the realm, and supreme examples of their maker's love of beauty in all things. _

_Hajime moved more restlessly now, his eyes brightly lit, his lips honoring the king's body with sensuous brushings and hushed whispers of affection. His heart raced softly under the king's warm fingertips and he breathed in soft, heated sighs._

"_You are so beautiful, Hajime!" the king exclaimed breathlessly._

"_If I am," the young noble panted, "then it's only because you made me that way…"_

_The respect in those words…the happy acknowledgment! The king was truly touched, and he let the sentiment run all through his body, out through his hands, and into the touches he gave Hajime. It made the young lord shiver with pleasure._

"_Hajime…Hajime…will you give yourself to me?" the king whispered into the warm shell of an ear._

"_I withhold nothing from my lord," Hajime responded, "I mean to serve my lord in all things…and in all ways."_

_The king placed a tender kiss on Hajime's lips._

"_I want to give you a gift, Hajime," the king said softly, "I want to make a child with you."_

"_With…" Hajime said smiling, "with…me?"_

_The king nodded, his fingers tracing the young lord's lips._

"_With you."_

_Hajime brushed a cheek against the king's fingers and followed with his lips._

"_But…wouldn't that cause…jealousy?" he asked softly, "We are always careful not to dishonor our queen."_

"_Yes," the king agreed, "and she appreciates this. I assure you, she takes no issue with this decision. I already have heirs. Ours is a friendly, happy marriage of convenience, Hajime, and the queen loves you well for making me so content."_

_Hajime gave him a pleased smile._

"_Then, if it pleases you, we shall make a child, my lord…but…"_

_The words were lost in the rush of the king's passion. His mouth descended on Hajime's, stopping the passage of words, taking the young lord's breath away in a blinding flurry of kisses and sighs. He touched Hajime's thighs and they parted easily for him. Sinking into the core of that beautiful, noble form, the king released his reiatsu, carefully joining it with the noble's, weaving the two into one. Hajime gave a deeply pleasured moan at the binding of their spirit energy and wrapped his body tightly around his king's as the king's power glowed softly around them. Their bodies moved against each other in heavy, passionate thrusts now, and Hajime could neither stop the soft cries that broke from his lips, nor tame the wild tremors shaking his young body._

"_My lord!" he whispered breathlessly, clinging to the king's body, "My king…"_

_The king's power flashed around them, lighting their bodies and sending heavy currents of sensation through them. The king's body shuddered against Hajime's and Hajime cried out in unrestrained pleasure. The king's head bowed gently in release and they rode out the waves of pleasure together, their eyes locked as tightly as their trembling forms. Sated and relaxed, they indulged in a soft display of warm kisses and soothing touches as the water rained down around them._

_The king smiled down at Hajime as the young noble laid beneath him, somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. He touched a hand to Hajime's chest and blue light flared brightly. When it faded, Hajime felt a soft weight rested there and heard a lovely tiny cry. _

"_I wondered how…" Hajime began, and was silenced with a tender kiss._

_"I am your king and creator, Hajime," he said softly, "All things are possible."_

_They laid together, holding their son close, kissing his tiny fingers and toes. When the king left him, Hajime remained beneath the waterfall, holding the infant close to him. The joy he felt was tempered by the growing concern he felt that all was not well between the queen and himself._

_"My Lord is generous and loves me well. He has given me a gift beyond compare. I shall not dare to question him. He is, in all things wise and I will trust his vision._

_But I cannot help but feel the chill in the air, the icy cut of the breeze against my skin. Even as new life lies breathing for the first time, perched happily on my breast, I look into the eyes of my newborn son and I wonder…are we safe? He says the queen is not jealous, that she is happy for us, but her eyes fall darkly on me when she looks at me at all these days, and I fear that she withholds her true heart_."

Byakuya closed Hajime's diary and placed it back among the others, then picked up his own and opened it on the table in front of him. He sighed softly and set himself to work, recording pertinent events within noble house and Seireitei, then he leaned his chin against his palm and thought for a moment before finishing the entry with a more personal observation.

_My dreams continue to be filled with thoughts of my ancestor, Hajime. The ancient sakura in the Spirit King's dimension promised that when my son needs the assistance, it will be Hajime who comes back from death to stand at his side. And although the sakura we planted here allows me communication with the mother tree, she cannot tell me anything more, nor why Hajime is so present in my thoughts. She only says that because of the importance of the approaching events, her eyes are clouded. I understand all too well the need for us all to be free to make our decisions and to choose our fate…but I worry about the hands that move to affect our fate, to shift us from our course and to place us on a reckoning course with disaster._

_The most probable way to that is the discovery that our Hajime has officially been named Crown Prince. Prince Kazuhiko himself first renounced his claim to the throne, then introduced our Hajime as the descendant of the king's union with our ancestor, Hajime. Although the announcement was confined to the Spirit King's dimension and all within know to keep the secret when they come to the Seireitei, I fear that somehow that secret will find its way into the wrong hands. In fact, it almost seems the expected thing. Why else would anyone think to hurt Hajime? He is only five years old. Though he is powerful, he makes no show of it in front of others. Captain Unohana works with him constantly to hone his skills in healing and connection to nature. The only other thing that would draw attention to him is that he is a member of the Kuchiki clan…but there are quite a lot of Kuchiki family members, despite the queen's attack. No, I think this will come from someone finding out about Hajime's designation._

_Worse, I suspect that the one most likely to desire and use that information is the same one who has shown repeatedly his hatred of the Spirit King and the noble families. His recklessness and his manipulations have shaken the Seireitei and this family…and me…too many times. He has been quiet this past year as our family recovered from his last foul plan. _

_Takeshi has regained the memories stolen from him, but still wakes at night, shaking and calling out for me. His heart is still burdened with the fact that he took me to Hueco Mundo himself and that not only was my life threatened, so were the lives of the children I carried and the ones who went to Hueco Mundo to rescue us. But now Takeshi and I are bonded more closely than we were before. Where before we were growing distant, our common experience from our imprisonment at Sosuke Aizen's hands has brought us closer. And we are now very much looking forward to his eighteenth birthday…just four years away…when he will receive his own kenseiken, crafted and first placed by me. It is troubling that Aizen's treachery seems constantly with us, but it has strengthened us…both Takeshi and me._

_I no longer fear for myself. The ancient sakura promised that I would no longer be vulnerable to Kyoka Suigetsu…and that if Aizen should strike me with a fatal blow, my blood will poison him and he will die with me. But I worry that if he learns of Hajime's new status as Crown Prince, he will attack or kill my son…or that he might try to somehow use him to attack our king._

Byakuya's head lifted and he paused his writing. He waited for a moment and heard the sound drift down into the archive. He set his diary back on the shelf and made his way out of the archive. It was dark and the lights had already been turned down for the night. He paused outside the archive and looked around, listening carefully and reaching out with his senses. He sensed a disturbed reiatsu in the garden and heard hushed voices ahead of him. He flash stepped toward the sound.

"Hajime! Hajime, wake up!" said Takeshi's voice, "Hajime, you're sleepwalking again."

Takeshi looked up at Byakuya as he flash stepped into view. Chisaki appeared on the walkway nearby, looking disheveled and sleepy.

"He walked by my room and didn't answer when I talked to him," explained Takeshi.

Byakuya knelt next to the boy, looking into the dark, hazed eyes.

"Hajime," he said, holding him by the shoulders and letting his reiatsu swirl around the boy.

Hajime blinked several times and his eyes began to clear.

"Daddy Bya?" he whispered.

"You were sleepwalking again, Hajime," Byakuya explained, "Do you remember anything?"

The boy nodded.

"Someone was calling me."

Byakuya's eyes closed for a moment, then found his again.

"Did you recognize any voices?" he asked.

Hajime shook his head.

"Then why would you go to them? Why would you go to someone who you do not know?" Byakuya asked.

Hajime looked into his eyes, blinking again.

"I couldn't help it. I didn't want to go, but I did it anyway," he explained.

Byakuya rose, lifting the boy into his arms. He carried the boy back to his room and set him in bed with a kiss on the forehead.

"It's all right, Hajime," he assured the boy, "just try to go back to sleep."

Takeshi and Chisaki were still waiting outside the room when Byakuya stepped out again.

"Is he okay, Dad?" Takeshi asked.

"Hajime is fine," Byakuya assured him, "but to be safe, I will have someone watch his room at night, so that he won't wander off. Now, it is late and you two will be working with Rikichi again tomorrow. If we are ever to convince him to move up to a captain's post, the two of you need to learn to work at the vice captain's level."

"Hai…okay, Dad!"

The twins flash stepped off to their bedrooms, leaving Byakuya looking after them. He turned toward his own room, stopping to speak to the night guard and then to look in on the two baby girls in the nursery. Both girls were sleeping peacefully and the night attendant smiled upon seeing him.

"Sleeping like angels, sir," she assured him.

Byakuya nodded and continued back along the walkway to his room. He walked into the room, closing the garden doors behind him, then moved to the dressing area to disrobe. Wrapping himself in a towel, he continued on to the bathroom and started the shower. He moved underneath the hot spray and sighed sleepily, letting the steaming water wash away the tension. As his anxiousness faded, fatigue took over and he yawned and let his eyes drift shut. So entranced by the soothing rush of water over his body, he didn't even notice when the shower door opened. It wasn't until the warm, tanned arms wrapped around him that he turned in those arms in surprise and found himself being pushed back against the wall, and his mouth being eagerly plundered.

"Kami, Renji! You…weren't supposed to…be back for…another week!" he managed between kisses.

"Yeah, well I was tired of being away from you and the kids," he said, grinning and bending slightly to bite down on the noble's soft, white throat, "And besides, it's Christmas. I didn't want to miss all of the fun."

Byakuya tilted his head back and closed his eyes, moaning softly. He sank his fingers into the thick, wet hair and threaded his fingers into it as the redhead continued his assault on the noble's fully exposed throat.

Renji pulled back for a moment and gazed at Byakuya's questioning eyes, then gathered his unsuspecting lover in his arms and flash stepped back to their bed, dropping him onto it then trapping him there with his own wet body.

"Renji, for kami's sake, I wasn't finished showering…and we're soaked! Renji…"

But the redhead wasn't listening.

He silenced the noble's objections with a flurry of searing kisses, then fell on his throat again, licking the water droplets from his skin. From there, he worked his way slowly down his lover's slender torso, continuing to kiss and lick the drops of water from the soft, sweet flesh. By the time he sank his tongue into Byakuya's navel, the noble's body was trembling and the thickened, blushing member that awaited Renji was leaking furiously in anticipation of his touch.

"I see you missed me, too," he whispered, beginning a warm, loving assault on his lover's body.

"R-Renji…" Byakuya gasped, "w-wait…it…it's been almost…a…ah…Renji!"

He lost the ability to speak as the sinful mouth continued to pleasure him and Renji's fingers prepared him. By the time the redhead removed his fingers and returned to pleasure his mouth again, Byakuya could barely draw breath. Warm fingers pressed against the base of his erection, slowing the pace and giving the noble time to recover himself somewhat. He sucked Renji's tongue into his mouth and stroked it heavily with his own, then released it and nipped hungrily at the redhead's lips.

Renji shifted and nudged the noble's thighs open wider, and entering him slowly. He stopped for a moment, meeting the deep gray eyes affectionately.

"I more than missed you, Bya," he whispered, "When I'm away from you, it's like I'm missing half of my heart."

It barely registered in Byakuya's stunned mind when Renji began to move. His own body moved without thought, straining madly against Renji's, aching for completion, but his mind kept hearing those beautiful words repeat. And they didn't stop, even once the pleasure exploded all around him and their passionate cries filled the air.


	2. Song

Renji stretched out on the sun-warmed grass and rested his head on one curled arm. He reached for Byakuya's hand and laced their fingers together, then moved his head slightly to take in the beautiful sight of his life partner, dreamy-eyed and half-dozing, enjoying the warm weight on his back and shoulder, tiny fingers that ran through the long raven strands of hair and the soft voice that sounded in his ear.

"Da-da Bya…soft…" Akiko murmured, curling her fingers, capturing the long, sleek strands, then sliding her fingers to the ends before starting again.

Hajime lay on his stomach, his chin rested on one palm, smiling up at his baby sister.

"Daddy Byais soft. He is sleeping."

Akiko patted Byakuya's head gently.

"Night-night," she said, then she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

Byakuya stirred softly and opened one dark gray eye to look up at her. Hajime giggled.

"It's not time for bed! It's still daytime, silly Akiko!" he exclaimed.

Renji felt grasping hands take hold of arm and the motion of hands, knees and feet as Akane climbed onto his shoulder. She sat with her legs around the back of his neck and tugged at his hair tie impatiently.

"Da-Red!" she announced.

"Daddy Ren," Hajime corrected her gently, "That is Daddy Ren."

"Da-da Red," Akane said, tugging at the hair tie again.

A pale hand pulled free of Renji's and reached up to remove the hair tie, then Byakuya's sleepy gray eyes watched appreciatively as the released hair spilled down onto shoulders and back, and into Akane's waiting hands.

"Haiw red," she said, grabbing large handfuls and tugging lightly.

She giggled as a light chuckle shook Renji's shoulders beneath her.

"That's right, Akane," Hajime agreed, "Daddy Ren has hair that is red and Daddy Bya has hair that is black."

He leaned forward and touched Byakuya's hair.

"Black," he said to the two red haired baby girls.

"Bwak," said Akiko, patting Byakuya's hair lightly.

"Bwak," said Akane, tugging on Renji's hair.

Hajime giggled.

"No, Akane," he laughed, "That is red. Daddy Ren's hair is red."

"Da-da Red!" Akane said, tugging the red strand she held.

"Hey!" Renji complained softly, "Ease up there. Leave some attached to my head, squirt!"

"Da-da Red," Akane repeated.

Hajime slapped his forehead in mock frustration.

Byakuya chuckled softly and took hold of Akane's hand. He touched it to Renji's hair.

"Red," he said quietly.

"Red," Akane repeated.

"What's that?" he asked, touching her hand to the red strands again.

"Red," Akane said, smiling.

"Red," Akiko said, reaching over to touch Renji's hair.

They repeated this several times before Byakuya moved Akane's hand to his hair.

"Black," he said softly.

"Bwak," she repeated.

They repeated this several times as well. Then Byakuya lifted his head slightly.

"Red," he said, touching her fingers to Renji's hair.

Then he quickly moved her fingers to touch his hair.

"Black."

He began alternating between the two. He did this for several minutes, then stopped.

"Let's play a game," he said to the girls.

He touched Renji's hair.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Red!" the girls said together.

Then he touched his own hair.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Bwak!" the girls squealed.

"Daddy Bya is very smart," commented Hajime.

"And Daddy Ren is getting sort of hot," Renji said, shifting slightly.

"Red…hot!" said Akane.

Hajime descended into a fit of giggles.

"She said you're red hot!" he laughed.

"Yeah, well, at least someone thinks so," muttered Renji, yawning.

A pair of smoldering gray eyes caught his and a silent message passed between the two.

I know someone else who thinks you're hot.

"I think," said Hajime, recovering himself, "that we should have a story time!"

At the words, 'story time,' Akiko dropped down and rested her head between Byakuya's shoulders, stretching out on his back. Akane curled up on Renji's back and began to suck her thumb. Hajime's soft gray eyes grew hazed and unfocused as he began.

"Once upon a time, Daddy Bya and Daddy Ren went to the big blue lake and green meadow with their children, Tall Takeo, Strong Takeshi, Wise Chisaki and Little Hajime. Takeo and Takeshi had a swimming race in the cool blue water, while Chisaki and Hajime made flower circlets to put in Daddy Bya and Daddy Ren's hair. Now Daddy Bya and Daddy Ren loved each other and their little family very much, but they decided that day that they wanted to make their family bigger. Little Hajime heard them talking about this and he made a big mistake. He thought that Daddy Bya wanted to have a baby, even though he was a man and he used his magic to make it so Daddy Bya could have a baby. Well, Daddy Bya and Daddy Ren were very surprised when Daddy Bya's tummy began to grow bigger and bigger. And when he knew he had made a mistake, Little Hajime was sad and mad at himself. But Daddy Bya and Daddy Ren were very wise and very kind. They forgave Little Hajime for his mistake and Daddy Bya decided he would have that baby. And his tummy grew bigger and bigger and bigger! And what a surprise! Daddy Bya didn't just have one baby…He had two! They were tiny baby girls with big gray eyes like Daddy Bya's and pretty red hair like Daddy Ren's. And though he still felt bad about his mistake, Little Hajime loved his baby sisters…and their family grew bigger and happier, just as Daddy Bya and Daddy Ren wanted it."

Hajime studied his audience and realized that they had drifted off to sleep.

"Well," he said softly, "It seems that story time is over and now it is nap time."

He dropped his head onto his arms and watched the others sleep. He was drifting off himself when he heard a soft sound on the breeze that sounded like a soft male voice singing. At first, he thought it must be Daddy Bya, but his father's eyes were closed and he could see the soft rise and fall of Byakuya's breathing. He lifted his head and looked around. He heard the sound again, floating on the breeze and again marveled at how like Byakuya's voice it was.

Hajime pushed himself to his knees and glanced at the four sleeping so peacefully in the garden grasses. He wondered if he should wake them, but decided that they looked too comfortable. He looked around for someone else, but Takeo, Takeshi, Chisaki, Rukia and Rikichi were all working…and he hadn't yet seen Hotaru or her baby girl come out of the east wing of the manor.

Hajime sighed, relaxing on his stomach again. The sound seemed to have faded, but a few minutes later, he heard it again, soft and tranquil. Suddenly, the boy's senses were piqued. He climbed to his feet and began following the sound. It led him through the garden gate and up the cool and quiet forest trail. The roiling sound of the waterfall blended in and birdsong joined the gentle voice that tugged at him, carrying him down the trail, only half aware of what he was doing.

The song itself was lovely. It drifted on the light breezes, mixing with the pleasant sounds of morning, lulling and attracting at the same time. A mist had descended on the area…odd, for such a pleasant spring morning. It made Hajime shiver softly. He reached the top of the waterfall and he could see the glowing shape of a man beneath the magical sakura that had been a gift from the ancient tree in the Spirit King's garden. As he grew closer, he could see that the man was actually an elflike creature with an achingly beautiful face…and his voice! It was very like Byakuya's, but the voice had magic in it…magic that seemed to be able to affect him. It had brought him to the tree to find the singing creature and now it held the boy spellbound. Hajime stared unmoving as the creature turned its deep green eyes to meet his and the singing stopped. Hajime sensed great power within the creature he faced.

"Your reiatsu feels familiar," said the creature, "like another I knew…a long time ago."

Hajime suddenly found his voice.

"Who…who are you?" he asked softly.

His power rose around him and he slowly reached out to the creature, touching the pale hand gently with his fingertips. The reiatsu flared and danced around them and the creature smiled as Hajime's spirit brushed his. Hajime stared at the creature, amazement flooding his features. He moved his hand to touch the creature's face. The creature remained frozen, staring calmly into Hajime's eyes.

"Zetsumei Kakyoku," whispered the creature.

Hajime smiled as the creature began to sing again, a soft and lilting tune that teased his senses and filled him with peace and silence. His knees grew weak and gave way and he dropped to the grass beneath the sakura tree. He leaned against the sturdy trunk of the tree, listening and drifting near the edges of sleep. He had almost dropped off to sleep when he thought he heard someone calling his name. He shook his head and started to rise, but the creature's music changed pitch.

The mist swirled around the creature and it glowed more and more brightly, then slowly began to fade. Hajime watched, entranced as the creature disappeared, then dropped to the ground at the base of the tree.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji's eyes blinked slowly open and he reached up the pat the soundly sleeping infant resting on his shoulder and back. Akane cooed softly.

"Da-Red," she said sleepily, patting his shoulder, then she slipped her thumb into her mouth and drifted off again.

Renji watched Byakuya and Akiko sleeping for a moment, then lifted his head and looked around for Hajime.

"Hajime?" he called softly.

At the sound of Renji's voice, Byakuya's eyes opened.

"What is it?" he asked, gazing up at Renji.

"Hajime," Renji replied, scanning the garden quickly, "He was here with us, but when I woke up, he was gone."

Byakuya maneuvered Akiko into his arms and sat up, holding the squirming infant and searching the garden with his eyes.

"Hajime?" he called.

"I'll check his bedroom," offered Renji, scooping up Akane and rolling to his feet.

Byakuya nodded briefly and walked quickly around the garden trail, looking for any sign of the boy. Renji reappeared a moment later without Akane and took Akiko from Byakuya's arms.

"Let me take her to the nursery. Rukia said she would watch them," he said, flash stepping away.

He returned a moment later and the two searched the manor and garden, calling the boy's name. Unsuccessful in finding him, they slipped out the back gate and followed the forest trail together, calling the boy's name.

They reached the waterfall and turned toward the sakura tree. Byakuya gasped in dismay and flash stepped to the tree and dropped to his knees next to the motionless boy. He lifted Hajime into his arms and called his name.

"Hajime?"

The boy did not stir.

Renji patted the boy's face gently.

"Hey, Hajime, come on. If you're playing games with us, this isn't funny."

"He isn't playing, Renji," Byakuya said, holding the boy close, "He's in a very deep sleep."

"Well…if he's asleep, then we should be able to wake him, right?" Renji asked, his eyes growing distressed.

"We should be able to…but…"

He closed his eyes and focused on the reiatsu around the boy.

"Renji," he said urgently, "There is an unusual reiatsu surrounding him. I don't recognize it. It almost has the feel of…"

"Of what?"

"Did you hear that?" Byakuya asked suddenly.

"What?" asked Renji, tilting his head.

Then he lifted his head and glanced around.

"Singing?" he whispered.

"It's very faint," Byakuya said, holding the boy against him and coming to his feet, "Very odd."

"I don't hear it anymore," said Renji, looking around again.

"Me either," agreed Byakuya, "But we must go. We need to get Hajime back home."

Renji took a last look around as Byakuya flash stepped down the trail, then turned to follow. Behind them, the small creature stepped out from behind the tree, watching with wide eyes as they retreated down the trail.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya sat cross-legged on Hajime's bed with his back against the wall and the boy cradled in his arms. Hajime's head rested gently against his shoulder and his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. He looked up as Renji entered the room, followed by Captain Unohana.

"Renji tells me that you cannot wake Hajime," she said, moving closer and sitting on the bed next to Byakuya.

She examined the boy carefully, then placed her hands on his face and extended her reiatsu so that it wrapped around the boy's body. She focused for several minutes, her head bent and her eyes intense.

"He has been placed in a very deep sleep," Unohana said, looking up at Byakuya, "but he has not been otherwise harmed. The reiatsu around him is very odd. It has a hypnotic effect that still seems to be affecting him."

"Will the effect fade? Is he going to wake up soon?" asked Renji worriedly.

"The reiatsu is fading gradually, but I do not know how long it will be before he wakes. The hypnotic effect is very powerful."

"But when he wakes, he will be…all right?" Byakuya asked softly.

"He will be fine," Unohana assured him, "Though powerful, this effect is not permanent."

"Well, that's a big relief," said Renji, "but I still want to know who the hell attacks a five year old kid!"

"Whoever it is must not be allowed to reach him again," Byakuya said quietly, "Renji, we need to have him personally attended at all times from now on. We know that something strange is going on. We have to stop it before whoever this is does something more serious. I will arrange for a personal attendant for him."

"Do you have someone in mind?"

"A relative," Byakuya suggested, "someone we know we can trust."

"What about Shoji?" Renji asked, "He's Hajime's cousin and in my squad. He's always over here visiting the twins anyway. And Mika always worries a lot about him when he goes out with us. She's already had to bury three of her four kids. This could keep him closer to home. And he is a powerful kid, Bya. He would be enough to warn off someone looking for trouble.

Byakuya nodded.

"Very well."

"I'd go get him now, but he won't be back for another day or two."

Captain Unohana lifted her eyes to meet Byakuya's.

"Hanataro could come to stay with you until then," she offered.

"Good idea," said Renji, nodding, "That ought to keep whoever it is from pulling something like this again.

Byakuya rested his face against the top of Hajime's head, only half listening as Renji and Captain Unohana conversed, and then the fourth division captain took her leave of them. He remained leaned against the wall while Renji sat in a chair across from him, studying the distant, worried expression in the dark gray eyes.

"It will be all right," Renji said, feeling as worried for his life partner as he was for his son, "We know there is trouble coming, Bya, but we'll all be okay. We'll all take care of each other."

Byakuya looked as though he was about to answer, when Hajime stirred softly in his arms.

"Hajime," Byakuya said, his voice filled with relief.

The boy looked up at him dazedly.

"Daddy Bya? Daddy Ren?" he moaned, as if touched with fever.

"We're right here," Byakuya assured him.

Hajime sat up slowly and looked around.

"Hajime," said Byakuya calmly, "Do you remember what happened to you?"

The boy blinked several times and thought carefully.

"I heard singing…" he whispered, "Someone was singing and it made me follow it."


	3. Whispers : Holiday Baking, Kuchiki Manor

Byakuya kissed a soundly sleeping Akane and set her down gently in her crib. Across the room, Renji laid Akiko in her crib and then joined Byakuya at the door. They nodded to the night attendant and started back down the walkway to their room.

"Are you turning in?" Renji asked, slipping a hand into Byakuya's.

Byakuya shook his head.

"I still have a journal entry to make down in the archive. It won't take long."

"Byakuya," Renji said, tightening his hand on his life partner's, "you look really beat. You sure it can't wait until morning? I know you didn't sleep well while I was away…and between taking care of the kids on your own for the month I was away and managing your squad and clan duties…I don't know how you're still on your feet."

"Nonsense," Byakuya said, frowning, "I had plenty of help with the children and I am quite accustomed to working long hours…as you should know. This will take no more than an hour, then I will sleep."

Renji shook his head and sighed.

"Okay," he said, pulling the noble in for a kiss, "Just don't stay down in that cold, drafty place all night! I'm going to the office to pick up some notes I need for tomorrow's captain's meeting. When I get back, we can have a hot shower and some tea."

"That sounds good, Renji," Byakuya said, nuzzling beneath his chin.

Renji pushed him gently back against the wall and indulged in several more deep, hungry kisses, before reluctantly releasing him and flash stepping away. Byakuya watched as he disappeared, then moved on to the archive entrance and slipped inside, waiting as the door clicked shut behind him. He felt a chill beneath his skin as he walked down the long hallway and through the three heavy interior doors. As he entered the archive, he thought he felt an odd shift of reiatsu in the room, but after standing calmly and reaching out with his senses, he felt no more disruptions and settled down into his chair in front of the shelf that held the diaries of all of the clan leaders in the Kuchiki family's long history. All of them, plus Hajime's. He glanced up at it briefly, but reached for his own and opened it on the counter before him. He quickly noted general clan dealings, then moved on to his personal reflection.

_Hajime was lured away from us today. We cannot tell what manner of being or creature it was, only that it seems to have lured him with singing. When he reached the creature, it put Hajime into a deep sleep, in which he remained for several hours. Once he woke, he seemed to have no memory of anything but the singing and walking to the sakura tree. He doesn't even appear to remember being overcome._

_The reiatsu of the being felt odd…and oddly familiar, something akin to the reiatsu output of a..._

He paused, feeling a hard chill pass through him. He looked around the room briefly, but nothing seemed amiss. Still, the temperature in the room seemed to have lowered noticeably and he shivered softly, even in his thicker kimono. He started to return to his entry, but lifted his head again as a voice rose up from somewhere within the room.

_Zetsumei…Kakyoku…_

Wind whistled through the room, startling him.

"How…" he began.

He stood and studied the room around him. As he turned away from the table, a gust of wind shot through the room again, rustling the pages of his diary. He heard odd whispers rising up around him.

_Saezuru…Zetsumei…Kakyoku!_

A white blaze of spirit energy blazed across the room, catching Byakuya squarely and throwing him off his feet. The white power raked his body, firing itself unchecked through his spirit centers, leaving him frozen and senseless and plunging the room into darkness.

Byakuya wasn't certain how long he laid frozen and barely aware before feeling returned to his limbs and he could move again. A small shaft of light, emanating from somewhere near the set of diaries yielded enough light so that he could see that he was close to the hallway entrance. He pushed himself slowly to his feet and stood, leaning heavily against the wall. He called a small red light to his palm to illuminate the room and found nothing to indicate what had caused the blast. Dizzy and shivering with cold, he staggered into the long hallway and back to the archive entrance. He leaned against the door, shaking softly and feeling oddly weak. After a few harsh, steadying breaths, he managed to pass through the door and out onto the walkway. He wondered briefly how late it was and if Renji had returned from the fifth division. He turned toward the bedroom and took a few staggering steps before dropping onto the walkway and losing consciousness entirely.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji set the last of the signed reports in his outbox and sighed heavily, letting his head drop into his hands for a moment. He hadn't meant to take nearly so long, but having been out on assignment for a month had allowed things to pile up somewhat in his absence. Although the work certainly needed to get done, he felt bad having had to abandon Byakuya yet again, but such was the life of a squad captain. He hadn't ever been blind to the fact that Byakuya, while working Renji hard as a vice captain, had always shouldered more than his fair share of the workload. He was the same way with his clan and family responsibilities, leaving Renji to wonder where in the hell he found the energy. Renji's own energy was flagging and all he could think about was going home and burying himself in that soft, sakura scented skin and hair and sleeping for the next week or so.

He felt a nagging sense of discomfort and reached out to brush his life partner's thoughts. There was no response, but then, it was late and Byakuya had, most likely finished his work in the archive, showered and gone to bed. Still, he quickly cleaned up his workspace and left the office, flash stepping back through the dark, empty streets and back to Kuchiki Manor. He felt right away upon entering the manor that something felt off. He walked down the inner hallway to the bedroom and stepped inside. The bedroom was quiet, still and empty. Byakuya was neither in the shower nor the bed. The garden doors were opened and the moonlight streamed into the room. Renji had that same odd feeling of something being wrong and felt a chill move through him.

He told himself that Byakuya must still just be in the archive…or that he had taken a moonlight walk, but extending his senses only resulted in the same unsettling silence he had felt before. Wherever Byakuya was, he was either asleep or…

He flash stepped out the doors and through the garden, out the back gate and down the forest path. He thought he saw someone beneath the sakura and flash stepped toward it, but when he arrived at the tree, all was silent and still. He tried closing his eyes and seeing through Byakuya's eyes, but nothing appeared. Nearly frantic now, Renji flash stepped back to the garden and started back toward their bedroom. As he came to the walkway, he spotted a dark form lying on the walkway itself.

"Byakuya!" he gasped, gaining the unconscious shinigami's side.

He dropped to his knees next to Byakuya and turned him carefully onto his back. His pale skin had gone white and ice cold. He was breathing raggedly and moaning softly.

Renji lifted the unconscious captain into his arms and carried him into the bedroom. He set him in bed and wrapped him warmly in the blankets, then flash stepped down the hallway to Hajime's room. He moved to the extra bed in the room and gently shook Hanataro awake.

"Hanataro," he called softly, "Hanataro, wake up!"

The healer eyes blinked open and he looked up at Renji sleepily.

"Huh?" he mumbled groggily.

"Hanataro, look, I know we told you to watch Hajime, but there's something wrong with Byakuya. He's unconscious. I don't know if he's sick or if he was attacked, but I need you to come and help."

The healer was on his feet in an instant. They raced back along the hallway. As they reached the bedroom, a slim, dark eyed youth stepped onto the walkway.

"Tsutomu?" Renji said, recognizing him as one of the nighttime guards.

"Sir, I felt a disturbance in your reiatsu and came to see if you need help."

"I think we're fine, but be watchful. Something odd happened to Byakuya and we don't know if he has been attacked by something or if he might just be ill. Warn everyone to keep an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious."

"Hai," the youth said, heading off across the garden to warn the others.

Renji turned back to the bedroom and found Hanataro leaned over Byakuya, flooding the unconscious captain's body with healing light.

"How is he? Do you have any idea what happened to him?" Renji asked quickly.

The healer kept his gaze on Byakuya.

"His reiatsu is awfully depleted. I'm building it up now so that he'll regain consciousness. He doesn't appear to have any serious physical injuries, but his body appears to be suffering from shock. Something happened, but it's hard to say exactly what."

"Is he going to be all right? He was ice cold when I found him."

"That's from whatever shocked his system. You did right to warm him and have me come to him. Don't worry, he'll be fine. The hard part will be figuring out what happened to him."

"Yeah," agreed Renji, "All I know is that he was going to the archive. But I wasn't here on the grounds, so I didn't see anything. I don't know if he ran into trouble in the archive or somewhere else. And we can't check the archive because Byakuya is the only one who can enter it."

He looked on worriedly as Hanataro continued the healing.

"Damn!" he muttered, "Things have been really weird around here…ever since Hajime was named crown prince…"

"Sir," Tsutomu said from the doorway, startling Renji, "We've searched the grounds and we've found no sign of anything unusual. We will continue to monitor and update you if there is anything to report."

"Ah…" said Renji, "Thanks, Tsutomu."

The youth bowed and turned away.

Hanataro made a sound of approval and Renji could see that Byakuya was stirring beneath the blankets. He watched for a moment, then left to make some tea. When he returned, Byakuya's eyes were opened and he was gazing quietly up at Hanataro, watching calmly as the healer continued to restore his obliterated reiatsu.

"Hey," Renji said softly, sitting down on the bed next to him, "What's the big idea, scaring the hell out of me like that?"

Byakuya blinked drowsily.

"What are you talking about?" he asked quietly, "Was I ill?"

"You don't remember anything?" Renji asked.

"I…I remember you leaving. I know I went down to the archive, but I don't remember actually being there. It's odd…I don't remember anything."

"So we still don't know if you were attacked or if you collapsed from exhaustion or something," Renji complained.

"My apologies," Byakuya said softly, "but I don't remember anything actually happening."

"Don't apologize," Renji said, leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the forehead, "This is probably my fault. I've been working my ass of trying to gain captain's experience and prove myself…to the point where I haven't really been here for you. You've had to work so hard managing things while I've been away…"

"Renji," Byakuya said bracingly, "newer captains always need to spend more time in the field. It's important to build experience. When I first became a captain, it was that way for me. But I didn't have children at the time. I had more freedom to come and go."

"Still…" Renji went on, "I can gain experience without being gone for such long stretches. And I have plenty of leave time. Now that I'm back, I'll use some of that so I can take some of the pressure off of you."

"Not necessary," insisted Byakuya, "I will be fine. And what makes you think I can't handle things on my own? Aside from being exceptionally lonely, I think I manage quite well!"

"Yeah, right," Renji laughed softly, "That's why you just collapsed from exhaustion and scared me half to death!"

"For kami's sake, Renji, I'm fine. It's just depleted reiatsu. A little rest and I'll be fine."

"Hmmm…" mused Renji, "Seems to me like every time you tell me that, you end up in some kind of trouble. Well, it's not happening this time. I'm watching you like a hawk!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," yawned Byakuya, "I think you're making a rather large fuss over nothing."

"Yeah? Well you wouldn't be saying that if I was the one collapsing from exhaustion!"

"I didn't collapse from exhaustion…"

"You don't know why you collapsed!" Renji exclaimed, "Now, stop using so much energy being stubborn and get some rest!"

"I think we're finished with this, for now," Hanataro announced suddenly, "I need to take these reiatsu samples to the fourth division, but I'll be back before very long. I'll check on Hajime before I go."

"Good idea, thanks," said Renji.

Byakuya took a sip of tea, then leaned back against the pillows. Renji turned off the lights and settled down next to him, resting his head on the noble's shoulder.

"You really don't need to worry so much Renji," Byakuya said softly, enjoying the way the moonlight played over the redhead's skin, "I took care of myself for a long time before you came along and I can still take care of myself."

"Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that, you stubborn mule!"

"I don't think my stubbornness holds a candle to yours, Renji," sighed Byakuya, letting his eyes drift closed.

"Of course you'd think that…mine's just more on the obvious side, that's all!"

"Abarai?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you shut up and let me sleep? You did want me to sleep, right?"

"Sure thing," Renji grinned, "right after I kiss you good night."

He turned and fastened his mouth on Byakuya's, indulging in several heated, open-mouthed kisses. Byakuya's fingers sank into the redhead's thick hair and one pale hand slid slowly down the length of his back. Renji pulled away and gazed sternly at his life partner.

"Are you trying to start something?" he said reprovingly.

"I'd say you started it, Renji," the dark haired captain countered.

"I was just kissing you good night," insisted the redhead, "I wasn't trying to start anything!"

"Renji, really," Byakuya said skeptically, "There's a way that you kiss someone good night and a way you ask for more."

"And you think that I'd be so selfish that I ask my exhausted partner for more?"

"Let me show you what I mean," said Byakuya quietly.

He gave the redhead a very chaste kiss on the lips.

"That is a good night kiss."

He turned suddenly and pinned Renji beneath him, engaging him in a long, hot kiss that involved quite a bit of tongue and left Renji feeling more than a little weak in the knees.

"That is how you kiss someone when you want something more. Understand?"

"Yeah, I get it," Renji said dizzily, "but I think I need a cold shower now…thanks…"

"I don't think you do get it, Renji," Byakuya said, holding him down and kissing him again.

"Bya…not now. You just collapsed from exhaustion! Do you really think…"

Byakuya cut him off with another bout of intense kissing. Within minutes, Renji was wrapped around Byakuya's body and far too breathless to argue.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Holiday Baking: Kuchiki Manor (Also appears as a standalone)**

**(In response to questions about Byakuya's pregnancy in Holiday Baking, I have placed it within Chapter 3 and am making slight changes elsewhere to address the fact he's pregnant. The child will be born in the next book.)**

The hell butterfly arrived just as Captain Renji Abarai put the last touches on his final report and placed it in his outbox. Thinking it would be yet another last minute request from the captain commander, he shook his head and motioned for the insect to deliver its message.

"_Captain Abarai_," said Captain Unohana's soft voice, "_Your presence is required in the fourth division. Rikichi just arrived with Byakuya. He says that Byakuya lost consciousness during their training at the sixth division…_"

He didn't hear the rest of the message because he was already out the door of the fifth division and flash stepping as quickly as his feet would carry him. He shot down the streets of the Seireitei, angling around the holiday shoppers and shinigamis returning home from work, then raced up the stairs and into the fourth division.

"Renji!" said Rikichi, "he's in the room straight ahead with Captain Unohana. She said to send you in when you arrived."

Renji muttered a short answer and turned toward the examination room, his heart skipping painfully. He burst into the room and was instantly relieved to see Byakuya sitting up and saying something to Captain Unohana. The healer smiled at Renji as he flash stepped to the bed and slipped an arm around Byakuya.

"I just got Captain Unohana's message. What happened?" the red-haired captain asked quickly.

"I'm fine, Renji," Byakuya assured him, "Rikichi and I were training using ban kai and the extended use of power drained me somewhat."

Renji rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Don't give me that!" he said reprovingly, "You don't pass out from ban kai training, Bya! And you passed out a few days ago too! You can't tell me that's nothing!"

"No," agreed Unohana, smiling at the two, "but Byakuya is right that you should not worry."

"So it's not serious?" asked Renji.

"No," said Captain Unohana firmly, "it is not serious…and it will resolve itself on its own…"

"It will?" Renji queried.

"Yes," said the healer, "in about nine months. You see, Byakuya is with child…again."

The two men looked at each other and broke into smiles.

"It must have been the night of our anniversary," Byakuya said, squeezing Renji's hand.

"Yeah," Renji laughed, "between all of the kid's stuff and our work at our divisions, there aren't so many other possibilities."

"Erm," said Captain Unohana, "Am I to assume that the two of you had Little Hajime give Captain Kuchiki another "magical hug?""

"Actually, no," Byakuya said calmly, "The spirit king told us that he would ease the way if we decided we wanted any more children."

"And I guess six just wasn't enough for us…" Renji said, grinning widely, "so we made number seven."

"Seven being a luckier number than six, ne?" chuckled Byakuya.

"So we needn't worry this time about the ability of your body to handle the changes?"

"No," Byakuya said, shaking his head, "We were told it would be easier this time."

Captain Unohana shook her head gently and continued the examination.

"You appear to be perfectly healthy, as does your baby. You are free to go home. Just make an appointment with Isane before you go."

Byakuya and Renji left the examination room and booked the appointment then flash stepped out of the healing center and back towards home.

"So, how shall we tell the children?" asked Byakuya.

Renji thought for a moment.

"Well, we're baking cookies to take to the Rukongai for the kids in Inuzuri. We should tell them when we get back from that."

Byakuya nodded in approval and the two continued flash stepping back to the manor.

XXXXXXXXXX

"All right," Renji said, sniffing the air as he stepped into the kitchen with Byakuya at his side, "Where's my cookies?!"

"You can't have any yet! We're still baking them!" announced Hajime, from where he stood on a chair dumping ingredients into bowls for Takeshi, Chisaki and Takeo to mix.

Flour floated in the air all around the kitchen and happy squeaks and squeals sounded from across the room, where Akane and Akiko rolled balls of dough that Cousin Shoji put on trays and carried to the oven.

"Have you made the special cookie to hide for our game?" asked Byakuya.

"Oh yes!" squealed Hajime, "Wakame Taishi is over there cooling!"

Byakuya and Renji crossed the room to where the seaweed ambassador shaped cookie rested on the smaller table, cooling. Byakuya nodded in approval, then walked over to join the toddler twins at the children's table in the corner.

"You are doing a very good job of rolling the dough," he said, kneeling at the table and moving to join them rolling the dough.

Renji went into the dining room and set out twenty brightly decorated holiday buckets to hold the cookies. He went back into the kitchen and sneaked up behind Hajime, wrapping an arm around his waist and dragging him off his chair, kicking and squealing.

"Arrrrrrr!" growled Renji, playfully, "I have the best cookie now!"

He held Hajime up in the air and spun in a circle.

"First, I'll make you dizzy with my lightning spin and then I'll eat you all up!" he cried.

"Dad, look out!" cried Takeshi as the red-haired captain turned and toppled over another pulled out chair.

He crashed down onto the table, throwing ingredients in all directions, coating the bakers with flour, sugar, eggs and colored sprinkles.

"Oh…sh…" he began, then saw Byakuya's narrowed eyes.

"Shoot!" Renji sighed, picking himself up and looking to see if Hajime had landed well.

Byakuya rose, shaking his head and fished the laughing boy out of a sea of mush, placing him on the ground, just as Renji tried to get up and upended a bowl of flour. The white flour rained down onto the wet and messy Hajime's body, turning him into a cute, white monster.

Hajime descended into a giggle fit as Chisaki tried to clean him off, then dashed off and closed in on Akiko and Akane, growling and snarling.

"I am the Wakame Taishi monster!" he howled, "I've come to tie you up with seaweed and tickle you to death!"

The small girls jumped to their feet, sending dough balls flying in all directions as they slipped and slid across the now messy floor, looking for an escape from the 'monster.'

"Hajime!" laughed Renji, "Get back here!"

Hajime roared and turned back, running at Renji at full speed, then leaping into the air and landing in his arms.

"I am Wakame Taishi!" he shouted ferociously, "I will eat you up!"

Renji turned the boy upside down, holding him in the air by the ankles and gazing at him in amusement.

"You're going to what?" he repeated, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm going to EAT YOU!" growled Hajime.

"Oh no!" Renji yelled playfully, "There's only one way to save myself. I must dump Wakame Taishi head first into the snow!"

He carried the upended boy out the door with the little girls and Byakuya following close behind. Outside, he carried Hajime to the nearest soft snow bank and turned him and let go, dropping him neatly into the snowbank and watching him sink in up to his waist.

"No! No! howled Hajime, "Anything but a snow bath! Wakame Taishi melts in the snow bath! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Akane and Akiko stood, holding Byakuya's hands and squeaking with delight as Hajime sank slowly down into the snow until he disappeared.

"Well," said Byakuya, "It seems we have defeated the seaweed ambassador and may now finish our baking and clean up the kitchen.

The two girls pulled free of Byakuya and dashed back inside with the raven-haired captain on their heels and Renji following after fishing a wet and laughing Hajime out of the snow.

They returned to the kitchen and moved the cooling racks full of cookies into the dining room. Takeo and Takeshi took cookies from the cooling racks and dropped them into small bags held by Shoji, Chisaki and Hajime, then they carried them to Akane and Akiko, who were helped by Byakuya and Renji to place the bags of cookies into the prepared buckets. Again and again, Takeshi and Takeo returned to the cooling racks until all of the buckets were full to the brim. The older children returned to the kitchen and put the ingredients away and cleaned up the gloppy mess that had invaded the kitchen. When all was clean again, the children ran to get their cloaks and then came back to join Byakuya and Renji in the dining room. Each child was handed a bucket or two of cookies to carry, then Byakuya opened a senkaimon to carry them through the precipice world, where they walked in a straight line, carrying their cookies, and emerged sometime later on the dreary streets of Inuzuri. They were spotted as they came into the center of town, where several others had gathered. One group handed out warm donated cloaks to the street kids. Another poured out steaming cups of hot chocolate, spiced apple cider and tea. The Abarai-Kuchiki family stood in a straight line and handed a bag of still warm cookies to each child that approached them. When all of the cloaks and cookies had been handed out and the children were sitting in groups around the central square, drinking their hot drinks and eating their cookies, Byakuya sat down with Akane and Akiko, each sitting on one of his knees, and he began telling stories. And while he told stories, Renji walked around the gathered children with Hajime, healing any injuries the street kids had suffered and not had anyone to help them with. The stories went on until the cookies and drinks were warm in the stomachs of the gathered children and it had become late at night. Finally, the last story was told, and the older street kids led the younger away to their sleeping places and hideouts. The volunteers walked around the central square, picking up any mess left over and then Byakuya and Renji gathered the children and turned them towards home.

Byakuya and Renji each lifted a sleeping toddler girl into their arms and Takeo set Hajime onto his shoulders Chisaki, Takeshi and Shoji walked close together, talking softly as they passed through the precipice world and returned to Kuchiki Manor. The family stepped down into the misty, snow covered gardens, then went inside where hot tea waited to warm their bodies after the night out in the cold. They gathered around the Christmas tree and Byakuya stood in front of them with Renji beside him, each still holding a sleeping toddler girl.

"You know how every year, we each open one present on Christmas Eve?" Renji said, smiling at the gathered children.

The group of children nodded and erupted into a chorus of affirmations.

"Well," Renji went on, "This year, Byakuya and I have a gift so big…that it's for all of us."

"What is it! What is it!" the kids cried.

"You remember a few years back when Hajime gave me a magical hug and I had Akiko and Akane. Well after that happened, the spirit king said that we could have other babies. So our gift to all of you this year is a little brother or sister, who will join our family in nine months!"

The room erupted into pandemonium. The children came to their feet and hugged Byakuya, laughing and chattering excitedly. Awakened by the hubbub, the twin girls opened their eyes and blinked, staring at the laughing, happy faces and not quite knowing what to think. The family settled back and fell into place around the Christmas tree, sipping at their tea and listening as Byakuya sang Silent Night. More carols followed, the children and Renji joining in until all were singing. They sang themselves hoarse, then Renji announced, "Time for bed! If you want Santa to come, you have to go to sleep!"

Byakuya and Renji carried the twin girls to their room and set them down in their beds, giving them a last goodnight kiss on the forehead. The tucked Hajime in next and bid goodnight to the older kids, before turning towards their own bedroom. Renji swept Byakuya into his arms.

"That's not necessary," the raven-haired captain said serenely, "I'm not so big yet that I can't walk…"

"I know," Renji chuckled, "but I like carrying you to our bedroom…"

Byakuya settled against him and let himself be carried. Renji turned into their bedroom, pushing the door shut behind them and then setting Byakuya onto his feet. They entered the dressing area and stripped their warm clothes away, then moved on to the shower, where they stood close together under the hot fall of water.

Byakuya closed his eyes and rested his head on the redhead's shoulder, weary from the long day and so comfortable there that he began to drift off. Renji's hands slid down his back and curved around his bottom, pulling him closer as he lowered his head and his mouth found Byakuya's and calmly invaded it. Byakuya's eyes didn't open, but his lips parted and his tongue welcomed Renji's, curling warmly around and stroking lightly. Renji held him like that, kissing him deeply and tightening his arms, pulling his hips forward so their bodies were as close as they could be.

"You're beautiful," the redhead whispered between heavy, lingering kisses, "and every year…every kid we have…everything we do…you just get more beautiful to me, Bya."

"You're beautiful to me too, Renji," Byakuya answered softly, "I love you."

They relaxed beneath the falling water, slowly lathering soap onto each other's bodies and then rinsing it away. They stepped out of the shower and dried each other off, before slipping into fresh yukatas and tumbling into bed.

Renji laid his golden tanned body on Byakuya's paler flesh, sliding down between his parted thighs and nipping at his lips. Both were sleepy, tired from the long day, but their bodies moved against each other, each longing to taste the other, a gesture grown deeply familiar, but not a bit less heated.

Byakuya arched his back, pushing upward into Renji's body and sliding his waking arousal against his lover's. He slid his tongue up the length of Renji's long throat, tracing the heavy black lines and pausing to suck warmly, listening to the growing heaviness in his lover's breathing and moaning his name.

Renji's hand slid down between them, caressing slowly as they moved together. Byakuya moaned his name again and thrust into his hand, his hands sliding down Renji's back and his nails biting gently into the redhead's skin. Renji growled pleasantly at the sensation, moving his hips to rub them together and creating wonderful friction that quickly left the two breathless.

Renji lifted himself and slowly descended Byakuya's writhing body, assailing his lover with hot, ravenous kisses, deep, languid strokes and long, lingering licks. He captured the noble's wet arousal and teased him shamelessly, bringing Byakuya's hips off the bed and making him gasp and pant heavily. His manipulations found the center of pleasure, making Byakuya cry out sharply and causing his body to seize with pleasure. Hot seed erupted and Renji moaned with delight, feeding on his lover's warm essence.

Raising his body over his lover's again, he brought his swollen member to his still incoherent life partner's entrance and slowly worked his way inside, with short, careful thrusts.

He fell on the noble's open, hungry mouth, feeding him kisses and sharing their mingled tastes as he thrust into his life partner's hot, willing form. His kisses grew almost bruising in intensity now and Byakuya's hazed eyes looked up at him, loving the sight of the beautiful, olive skinned warrior who laid atop his body, biting at his skin, lacing together the fingers of one hand and emitting low, intense growls of pleasure as his movements grew in force and his strong body thrust into the lovely one beneath it. Byakuya watched closely as pleasure erupted across the wild, tattooed features and Renji's body tightened against his. Heat erupted inside him, sending Renji's blazing warmth all through him as Renji's mouth found his again and buried him in long, slow kisses. They rested calmly after, kissing more gently, Renji's length still buried inside him and their bodies humming with completion.

Byakuya's graceful fingers lovingly traced the tattoos on Renji's face and the two exchanged smiles. Renji shifted, sliding down beside the noble, and bringing his hand to rest on Byakuya abdomen over where their baby grew.

"So," he chuckled softly, "Seven kids…"

Byakuya's smile widened.

"Ahem…unless we have another set of multiples."

"But seven is lucky and if we go over, we'd be near double digits…and if we're that close…"

"You don't think more than seven is too much?" Byakuya asked, jokingly.

"I'd say when we reached the point where they outnumbered us we were pretty much doomed…but I've said it before and I'll tell you again. I love you, Bya…and I'd have a million kids with you!"

Byakuya chuckled softly and nuzzled closer.

"Well then, it's going to be quite a busy new year, ne?"

"Yeah," laughed Renji, "I guess it is!"

He turned and kissed Byakuya again.

"Merry Christmas, Bya," he said softly.

"Merry Christmas, Renji," the noble answered, closing his eyes and settling against the redhead's strong chest.


	4. Siren Song

Renji felt a hard shiver move through Byakuya and noticed suddenly how hot the noble's skin felt against his. He pressed a cool hand to Byakuya's face and felt another shiver move through him. The dark eyes that opened and met his looked glazed and fevered.

"Bya, you don't look so good," he said, gently stroking the noble's dark hair, "You want me to get Hanatarou back in here?"

His lips moved, but the words were unintelligible. Renji pulled free of him and prepared a cool, wet cloth and a cup of hot tea. He gently brushed the cloth over Byakuya's heated skin, sending more shivers through him. He brought the tea to his lips and the noble managed a few small sips.

"Sae…zuru…zet…Sae…zuru…Sae…" the noble whispered incoherently.

Renji furrowed his brow.

"What are you saying?" he asked softly, brushing his face with the cool cloth.

Byakuya accepted another small sip of the tea, then fell back onto the pillow, moaning and speaking in scattered, nonsensical bits of words. Renji shook his head and smiled sadly.

"Can't make out a word you're saying," he admitted, continuing to stroke the raven black hair lightly, "Bya, I think you've been spending too much time down in that archive!"

He slipped back into bed and held Byakuya against his shoulder, releasing his reiatsu and letting it surround him. He focused his thoughts and tried to pick out any coherent thoughts registering in the noble's mind, but the link seemed weaker than usual and the thoughts that did register were as garbled as his words. Renji gave up trying to understand the words and put himself to the task of curling his body around the noble's, keeping him warm and comfortable, and holding a steady field of healing energy around him. His efforts seemed to work after a fashion and the noble's fever broke. Renji sponged away the sweat from his skin and felt a sense of relief when the dark eyes opened and looked at him with markedly more lucidity. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again as he noticed for the first time, the eyes that stared back at him. The normally steel gray eyes now had a ring of dark blue around the rim of the black centers. And the eyes looked back only half aware of who they were looking at.

"That is definitely not normal," Renji commented, sponging the noble's face and offering him more tea.

Byakuya sipped at the tea and regarded Renji as though he barely remembered the redhead. He reached out and touched Renji's face, lingering over the tattoos, saying nothing, but continuing to look at him as though seeing him for the first time. Renji felt something like adrenaline shoot through him and realized that he was trembling. Deciding that he couldn't tolerate things any more, he left Byakuya dozing and stepped out into the garden where the Rikichi, Hotaru and their baby had joined Rukia, Takeo, Takeshi, Chisaki and Hajime for breakfast. Their bubbling conversation died as they registered the look on Renji's face.

"Where's Hanatarou?" he asked, looking around.

"He was called back to the fourth division," Takeo explained, "There was an attack on the detail in Karakura Town. There were quite a number of injured. I told Hanatarou that I would watch Hajime until Shoji arrived. What's wrong with Baykuya?"

"He…um, well, he seems to have something flulike…but I think that there may be something else going on."

Hajime wordlessly jumped up from his place at the table and ran to the bedroom. He was halfway to the bed when he skidded to a stop and stared wide eyed at the noble. Byakuya stared back at Hajime with the same half aware expression he had given Renji. Renji and Takeo stepped into the room behind him and moved to his side as Takeshi and Chisaki watched from the doorway.

"Hajime?" queried Renji, gazing at the boy's frozen form.

The boy's features suddenly filled with terror and he screamed and ran to Renji, crying hysterically. Renji knelt and held the terrified boy close, speaking softly to him and trying to get him to calm. Finally, he swept the boy into his arms and carried him outside the room. He held the sobbing child against him until the crying and shaking slowed and stopped. Takeshi and Chisaki looked on pale-faced and Takeo stared out the door from inside.

Renji loosened his arms and reached up to brush away the boy's tears. Hajime stared at him, then turned to look into the bedroom, whimpering.

"Hajime," said Renji gently, "What is it? Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Hajime trembled against Renji's shoulder and struggled to find his voice. When he did speak, the others listened and looked on in stunned silence.

"Daddy Bya…" the boy said, choking on his words, "there's something inside him!"

"Okay," said Renji calmly, turning to face Takeshi, "Takeshi, could you sit with Byakuya for a while? Just keep his face and neck cool and keep giving him tea."

He turned to Takeo.

"Takeo, take Hajime and Chisaki down to the fifth division. Shoji should be back real soon. You can meet him there and walk back after."

"Do you need any help?" Rukia asked from the walkway behind him.

Renji looked up at her with a grateful expression.

"Could you get the babies their breakfast?" he asked.

"I'll give you a hand," said Hotaru, handing her own baby to Rikichi.

The two women flash stepped away. Takeshi walked into the bedroom and sat down next to Byakuya, leaning forward to gently sponge his face and neck. Takeo approached Renji and Hajime, and lifted the boy into his arms. Chisaki followed as they made their way toward the front of the manor.

"What are you going to do?" asked Rikichi, holding his daughter against his shoulder.

"I'm going to speak to Captain Unohana," he explained, "I just wanted to get Hajime out of here. This really freaked him out. I don't think I've ever seen him that scared. He looked terrified. And I understand why. Byakuya's not acting like himself…Something's really wrong and I'm going to find out what it is!"

"Dad," said Takeshi softly, "Are you feeling any better?"

Byakuya blinked slowly, several times, and he looked at Takeshi questioningly.

"Takeshi?" he queried, as though not quite certain, "Where is Renji?"

Takeshi smiled encouragingly.

"He went to talk to Captain Unohana. He wanted to get the results of the tests they did before."

Byakuya nodded and tried sitting up. Takeshi pushed him back gently.

"Renji said not to let you out of bed. It's better if you rest some more."

He offered Byakuya the cup of tea and Byakuya sipped at it. Takeshi could see that he was shivering again and adjusted the blankets. He touched his father's face and shook his head.

"You're feverish again," Takeshi said, sponging his face lightly with the wet cloth.

"I'll be fine, Takeshi," Byakuya assured the teen.

Takeshi nodded.

"I know that," he said, smiling, "but Renji wanted me to take care of you while he is gone, so that's what I'm going to do."

Now Byakuya smiled and squeezed Takeshi's hand. Then he closed his eyes and seemed to drift off to sleep again. Takeshi remained at his side, checking every so often for fever and sponging his face to cool him. After a time, he heard footsteps on the walkway and soft voices. He looked up and smiled as Chisaki and Shoji stepped into the room.

"Where are Takeo and Hajime?" he asked Chisaki.

"They went to walk to the lake. Hajime is still pretty upset about Dad."

Takeshi nodded in acknowledgement.

"Shoji," he said softly in greeting, "good to see you back. How was Karakura Town? I heard you guys had some excitement."

Shoji nodded.

"Big hollow attack," he said, looking over at Byakuya, "lots of menos, you know. So how is your dad?"

"He's in and out, but he seems better than he was. I just wonder what's taking Renji so long. He went to talk to Captain Unohana and I thought they would be back by now."

"So, Takeshi said that they want me to stay here for awhile?" Shoji asked.

"Yes," Chisaki said, nodding, "Hajime has been sleepwalking and he kept hearing singing…and someone calling him. It's been really odd. We are all kind of on edge because we know that something is going on…and we know something is going to happen, but right now there isn't really anything we can do. Our dads wanted you to come and stay close to Hajime…to kind of watch over him."

"Because of the weird stuff happening?" Shoji said questioningly.

Chisaki nodded.

"That and…" she said, leaning close to him, "only the immediate family knows, but they said that you should be told since you'll be protecting Hajime…Shoji, Hajime has replaced Prince Kazuhiko as the Crown Prince."

Shoji's eyes went wide.

"You're kidding!" he said softly.

"Not even close to it," Takeshi said quietly, "The prince was unhappy because of what his mother and sister did to Hajime Kuchiki and then how the queen tried to massacre our family and kill the king. He felt that the only right thing for him to do was to prevent the relations of the queen from inheriting the throne. Instead, he wanted the throne to go to Hajime Kuchiki's descendants. They were going to name Renji Crown Prince, but he refused, so that made our Hajime next in line. It's being kept secret, but our dads said it was all right to tell you. He had to inform the council, but no one else in the Seireitei outside of our immediate family is supposed to know. They're worried that someone might try to hurt him."

"I can see why they're worried," Shoji acknowledged, "So much bad stuff has happened. You know, my mom and dad are still so sad over losing my brothers and sister. I think about them all of the time too. It's really lonely at home. But my mom is glad I got an assignment here. And she's always really happy when you guys stop by. And the best news of all? She just found out that she is going to have a baby!"

"Shoji, That's wonderful!" exclaimed Takeshi, "I'm so happy for you and your folks!"

"Thanks," Shoji said gratefully, "I can't wait to find out if I'm going to have a little brother or a sister! Either one is fine…I'm just excited about finding out!"

Takeshi turned back to Byakuya and adjusted the blankets.

"Renji should be back soon," he commented, "When he gets here, we should take Hajime and go swimming. That should help keep his mind off everything."

Chisaki nodded.

"Good idea."

"But I don't have a swimsuit," said Shoji.

"Ah, Chisaki can help you find a pair of my shorts you can wear."

"Come on," Chisaki said, taking his arm and starting out the door.

Takeshi leaned over Byakuya, frowning as he realized that the fever seemed worse again. He sighed and brushed the cool cloth over his face, talking to him in a low, soothing voice. It seemed odd to him that their roles here were reversed. He remembered Byakuya tending him many times when he was sick while growing up. He sighed, gazing down worriedly at his father, thinking about how many times he had depended on Byakuya and Renji's strength to get him through things. And although he hated Byakuya being ill, he did feel good about finally being able to return the favor.

"Oh good! You're back," Takeshi said, smiling in relief as Renji entered the room.

His smile faded slightly as he spotted Captain Unohana following Renji into the room.

"Oh, not to worry," she said reassuringly, "I am only here to conduct a more thorough examination."

"Why don't you go join the others down at the lake?" Renji suggested, "I promise I'll come down and let you know what's happening as soon as there is news."

Takeshi looked back at Byakuya doubtfully, but nodded and left the room. Renji closed the garden doors and returned to Byakuya's side. Captain Unohana pulled back the blankets, smiling as Byakuya's eyes opened and he gazed up at her dazedly. She leaned forward and studied his eyes carefully.

"You were right about the change in coloring," she commented, "Byakuya…how are you feeling?"

He didn't answer, but kept staring up into her eyes. Renji sighed in frustration.

"All we get is a few understandable words and a lot of incoherence. And you said that there was something odd in the test results?"

Unohana nodded, smiling down at Byakuya and offering him a sip of tea.

"Yes, there was something odd. That's why I thought he needed the closer examination," she explained, leaning forward again, "Byakuya, I will need to loosen your clothing for the examination."

Byakuya gave no response, but did not object when she opened his top and studied his abdomen carefully.

"The tests that we took detected a second reiatsu in Byakuya's body," she explained, extending her hands over him and calling forth her power.

Byakuya flinched, but then sighed and seemed to lose awareness again.

"Being that he had your twin girls, I need to verify that he is not carrying any additional children. That would be one reason for the oddity."

"Wha…you mean he could be pregnant again?"

She moved her hands over the noble's abdomen.

"He isn't," she concluded, "so I also need to be certain that there are no foreign bodies that have been placed within him."

She furrowed her brow thoughtfully.

"I don't sense that any item has been placed in his body. This feels different. The reiatsu I sense here has bonded with his. It is one that is close to his, but there are several differences."

"So what does this mean? What's happening to him?" Renji asked anxiously.

Unohana frowned and increased her power. Byakuya shifted uncomfortably and moaned softly.

"This reiatsu is clinging tightly to his," she explained, "It is too weak to survive on its own, but it is strong enough that it is interfering with Byakuya's personality and responses. I think that the best thing to do would be to move him to the healing center to take a more complete scan of his body."

"So…whatever this is, I mean, is it something you can…"

Captain Unohana looked him full in the eyes.

"Renji, to be completely honest, I do not know. I have never encountered anything like this before."


	5. Lost Soul

"Ah, I see our informant has arrived. Show him in, Gin."

Gin shoved the youth forward and he fell to his knees at Aizen's feet. Aizen kept his chin rested on his hand and continued to gaze down at the young shinigami.

"So what have you learned…Tsutomu?"

The youth shivered softly, his body straining against the weight of the power of Aizen's zanpakuto. Sweat broke out on his forehead and he struggled for breath. Aizen's spiritual pressure increased around him, squeezing his entire body like a vise. The youth moaned in pain and bent forward, wrapping his arms around his midsection.

"You seem to have become annoyingly resistant," commented Aizen, raising his spiritual pressure until the young shinigami cried out in pain and fell to the floor, "Come now, Tsutomu. It isn't your fault that you're being used against him. You are simply an employee. I am certain you have no reason to suffer or die just to protect him."

Aizen's eyes widened as the youth's head rose and he looked up at the traitor with surprising strength in his eyes. Aizen rose and walked closer, increasing the spiritual pressure until the boy was gasping for air and beginning to lose consciousness.

"How about we come to a compromise?" Aizen asked calmly, "I will ease the spiritual pressure so that you can breathe and you will tell me what you have learned that could be useful to me. If you tell me something useful, you will live, and if you do not, I will crush the life out of you."

The spiritual pressure around the shinigami eased and he gasped and panted, trying to catch his breath. Aizen gazed down at him, waiting for a few moments, then speaking to him again.

"I would suggest that you not keep me waiting. I am not a patient man."

Tsutomu caught his breath and pushed himself back onto his knees. He raised his head and met Aizen's gaze with frightened, but determined eyes.

"I won't betray Lord Byakuya. You have hurt him and his family too much! D-do what you want with me! I w-won't betray him!" he said, his body shaking with a mixture of defiance and fear.

Aizen smiled down at him.

"Of course you will…boy…You will bend to the will of my zanpakuto, just as Byakuya, himself, did when I held him here."

He leaned close to the youth.

"He's just as human as you are, you know, and he broke under the weight of what we put him through. Would you like to know first hand what your master experienced, Tsutomu? Would you like to know exactly what it took to make him crumble? Do you think that you could do any better? Do you really think you are stronger than him. I shattered him like glass, Tsutomu! And I will have no problem at all, taking what I want from you…even if I have to pry it from your cold, dead corpse. Now…I will give one last chance…and then I will turn you over to Gin. What say you…Tsutomu?"

Tsutomu bowed his head and closed his eyes, his young body trembling. He knew he couldn't save himself…so it made no sense to him to give anything away. He felt a shiver pass through him as Gin entered the room and closed in on him. It was a matter of some pride to the young guardsman how much he was able to withstand before the combined forces of pain and hypnosis finally dragged the words from his trembling lips.

"Hajime has been named Crown Prince…heir to the Spirit King's realm…"

He hoped he would be killed quickly. Even knowing he had done his best to fight it…even though he knew he couldn't have stopped it, Tsutomu felt the sting of his failure and knew he could never look Byakuya in the eyes again without the horrible weight of that guilt.

"I'm sorry, Lord Byakuya," he whispered, wishing he could have avoided overhearing, knowing, betraying.

"Oh, don't worry, Tsutomu," Aizen assured him gently, "when you return to him, he won't have any idea what you've done. If you don't remember, then he won't suspect you. Thank you for your help…Tsutomu!"

The young guardsman let out an agonized sob and dropped heavily to the floor.

"Return him to them, Gin," Aizen said softly.

He watched as the boy was carried out of the room, then sat, considering the guardsman's words.

"So the little demi-god will someday rule. How interesting…I would like to know how that came about. I wonder…I know Byakuya could not be the one. His lineage is too well documented. But then…hmm, I wonder…"

He thought of Renji, of his being an orphan of the Rukongai…of that other's connection to the Kuchiki family. He had researched the events carefully when he found the strange hollow. And now, it seemed, he was beginning to make a connection. He thought carefully.

"If the lineage didn't go through Byakuya…then it must have come through Renji…"

He remembered the old black leather book he had given to Byakuya.

_I hold this miracle in my hands, this promise that, although I may not be fated to live to see him grow, I will act now to ensure he will go on…and the love between my king and me will survive. It will survive anything…_

And in truth, it had. He thought back to the old text he had found, an accounting of the last written words of Soujun Kuchiki…Ginrei's son, Byakuya's father…

The secret has been passed on to me. And I carry it now to the Valley of Lost Souls. I must persuade him to tell me where the boy is! He may not be the friend and comrade that I remember, but there must be something left beneath that hollow mask that still remembers me. I will go and I will find him. With my last breath, I will defend them…and I will give the trust to the one who comes after me…

But Byakuya knew nothing of the secret his father had kept so carefully. He had gone from his family and attempted to find the descended of the king and had been fatally wounded facing the one he sought in the Valley of Lost Souls. And whatever the creature might have known, whatever he might have whispered to Soujun Kuchiki before his death, none of it had reached Byakuya.

But it had reached him. He had found the creature by accident…had only discovered its value after much research. And now he would loose that creature again. He would release it and send it to finish what Soujun Kuchiki had prevented him from doing…from ending the king's line of successor's once and for all!

He walked quickly, flash stepping as he made his way down stairs and corridors, into the prison level. He kept moving, down into the dark lower levels. He stopped at a heavy iron door.

He reached out with his reiatsu and found that the hollow was sleeping. Smiling, he opened the door and entered the cell. Quietly, he moved to the huge creature's side and used his zanpakutou to wake it. The cold, red eyes gazed into his. It strained against its bonds and its eyes widened in surprise as Aizen released it from its bonds. It started to reach for the man, but was stopped by the golden light that flared between them.

"The time has come," he said softly, "Go to Kuchiki Manor, and take the young prince. Take him to the Valley of Lost Souls and wait there. When the rescuers come, trap them in the valley…kill them…eat them…"

The creature glowered down at him, then turned and lumbered out the cell door. Aizen listened to the footsteps as they faded…and the guard's scream as the hollow killed him. There was no way that the spawn of the Spirit King would survive…this one would kill them…would kill them all.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya's eyes opened and studied the room around him. He knew he was in the fourth division and that the red haired man sleeping in the chair beside his bed was someone important…but he couldn't remain here. He had to return to the manor.

Watching the red haired shinigami, he rose quietly and slipped across the room to listen at the door. It was late at night and the healers on night duty sat dozing at the front desk. It was easy for him to engage his flash step, to move past them and leave them staring, wondering what had just passed by them. He was on the streets now. They had changed greatly since he had walked them before…but even so, he remembered the way. He walked slowly, the breeze gently lifting the free ends of the flowing white Yukata he wore and fluttering through his hair. He didn't feel the cold on his bare feet. He could only marvel at how it felt to breathe, to move, to see, hear, smell, taste and touch…to be a part of the world again.

But he was aware that while he might be enjoying it, he must act quickly to reclaim his own form. The one he inhabited was a powerful being, but even one such as he could not tolerate this intrusion for long without succumbing to madness and eventual death. They had to return to complete the transfer of reiatsu.

So he quickened his pace and flash stepped, enjoying again the feeling of breath in his lungs and the ground under his feet as he closed the distance, then slipped in through the back gate of the manor. As he turned a corner, a guard stepped into his path to challenge him, then frowned in recognition and stepped back.

"Lord Kuchiki, I am sorry. I didn't recognize you! Sir…sir, aren't you supposed to be…sir!"

He flash stepped down the walkway, noting how even in the dark, the gardens looked beautiful…and the smell of the flowers! He stopped at the entrance to the archive and allowed the other spirit to surface so that they might enter. As the door opened, lights blazed all around them and voices called out to them. He gazed at their concerned faces lovingly for a long moment, then closed the door and left them behind. He made his way slowly down the hallway, through the three interior doors and into the archive. Turning s into the section that held the family diaries, he moved to the shelf that held the clan leader diaries. He hadn't been a clan leader, but Byakuya had found his story to be of great importance and had stored his here as well. The book remained on the shelf where Byakuya had placed it. A shaft of light rose out of it, twinkling with promise. Hopeful now, he approached it and laid his hands on it. For the first time in hundreds of years, he held the black leather bound volume in his hands…well, the ones he had borrowed, in any case.

These were hands that were precious to him. They were the ones that had taken his diary from the hand of Sousuke Aizen and had returned it to the vault…and his heart was the one that had learned the truth of the past and had acted to clear his name. And now his body would yield the greatest of his gifts, the gift of rebirth.

He knew that when they were separated, when he woke in his own body, his senses would be scrambled and he would not remember this, but for this moment, his spirit caressed the one that would give him life again and he felt the closeness of his descendant and treasured it. He felt the stirring of that spirit alongside his and the feeling of warmth sent back in return. He wanted so much to spend more time savoring the feeling, but it wasn't good to wait. The rebirth was putting great strain on Byakuya. They had to finish the ritual soon…before the power of it became too overwhelming.

He picked up the book and opened it, letting his spirit energy gather around him. Very slowly, he whispered the words to release the diary's hidden power. White light rose up all around him, lighting Byakuya's body and pouring from the book into the noble's shimmering form. He felt the balance of his reiatsu swelling and pouring into Byakuya's body. He felt the noble's body shiver in pain at the intrusion and binding of the reiatsu to his own. He quickly touched his spirit to the other's…to quiet him, to calm him, to reassure him. The ritual was nearly complete. He felt the power of the diary reaching its height and the shaking of the body receiving it. The light exploded in all directions now, shaking the room around them. It held them suspended for one long moment, then released them to fall together to the floor, still sharing that same precious vessel. They would only share that space for a short time longer. He whispered encouragement to the other spirit as the two descended into sleep. They would sleep here in darkness and safety while their power slowly returned…then they would leave to find the one who would finish the ritual.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji came awake suddenly, shaking all over as if he had just awakened from a nightmare. He breathed slowly, trying to slow the heavy pounding of his heart, but found it racing even faster as his eyes took in the empty bed next to him. Immediately, he reached out with his senses, trying to see through his link with Byakuya.

Images rose up of flowing white cloth and whipping hair, the streets of the Seireitei…the back entrance to the manor.

Renji bolted from his chair and flash stepped toward home as fast as he could, his mind still brushing against Byakuya's.

_Bya…wait for me!_

He felt the brush of his lover's mind against his for a long moment.

Renji, I will explain everything…I promise. It's him. It's Hajime. We have to finish the ritual or we will both be lost! Wait for me. I promise I will come to you…Renji…

He flash stepped over and over, bursting into the manor, pushing past the frightened housekeeper and racing for the walkway. He reached the archive door just as it closed and beat his fists furiously against it. He reached again for Byakuya's mind, but no longer felt its presence. He tried to see into the vault, but received nothing.

"Byakuya!" he yelled, beating his hands against the door until the lights came on all around, until the guards came close, watching him, until he met with his children's worried eyes. He turned his back to the door and slid down the wall, feeling the energy leave his body. Sighing heavily, he buried his face in his hands.

Takeo sat down next to him and slipped an arm around him.

"Dad," he said softly, "What is it? What's happening?"

Renji swallowed hard and looked up at Takeo, Takeshi, Chisaki and then Hajime. He took a breath and gathered himself, trying not to feel the horrible panic that still beat in his veins.

"It's going to be all right," he assured them in a soft, trembling voice, "I'm sorry I acted like that. Byakuya said he would come back out…He wanted me to wait for him. He said it's Hajime…the King's Hajime. I think Byakuya is needed somehow to bring him back."

Takeshi moved to Renji's other side and sat down, taking his free hand. Chisaki sat down across from them and Hajime crawled into her lap.

"Then we'll all wait for him together," said Takeshi softly.


	6. The Birthplace of Defiance

"_Tell me your name."_

_Byakuya lifted his head and found that he was lying on the ground beneath the mother tree in the Spirit King's dimension. He furrowed his brow in confusion, looking up in the direction of the voice._

"_We are not really in that place," the other explained, "We must wait here…in this place between dimensions while your power is restored. This is where I have waited all of these long years to be found by you."_

_Byakuya stared up at the other, entranced by the shock of looking into the face of the one who was his ancestor, the king's beloved, the father of Renji's ancestor. The markers of the Kuchiki lineage…the black, silken hair, the soft pale skin, the scent of sakura around him, the shape of his face, the fine lines of the jaw, the shoulders…it was all there. This could be no one else. And his eyes! It wasn't just the dark blue hue, but the light that shined beneath them, the intelligence and perceptiveness in them. He sat with his back against the tree, gazing down at Byakuya's outstretched form and waiting for a response._

"_Why can't I move?"_

_The other smiled._

"_Give yourself a moment. The process of rebirth is extremely taxing. I couldn't have attempted it if you were any less powerful, though this is testing your limits. In any case, you will become able to move as your reiatsu is restored. Now then, will you tell me your name?"_

"_I am Byakuya."_

"_And your lineage?"_

"_My father was Soujun and my grandfather, Ginrei."_

"_Ah, Ginrei was my brother's son. You have his eyes and, it seems, his more serious nature."_

"_Why did you need to ask my name? You inhabit my body. Shouldn't you just…know what I do?"_

_Hajime's blinked in surprise._

"_Byakuya, I may have needed to invade your body to be reborn, but I certainly would never intrude in a person's mind. What I want to know, I will simply ask."_

"_You say you have been here all of this time?"_

"_Yes…the mother tree saw into my future. She could not interfere with the events surrounding my death…but she did have the power to grant me rebirth. So she used her power to bring me here upon my death. I had to wait these long years for someone of sufficient power to retrieve my diary and clear my name. Those were the signs that would lead to my return. It should also lead me to know the fate of my son."_

_Byakuya stretched and pushed himself to his knees._

"_Slowly," Hajime said, smiling, "your reiatsu has been severely depleted and needs time to restore itself."_

"_Were you the one who has been calling my son?" Byakuya asked._

_Hajime shook his head._

"_My only connection with the world was through the diary."_

"_Then do you know who it might have been calling to Hajime?"_

_A look of surprise darted across the other's expressive face._

"_You named your son Hajime?" he asked softly._

"_Renji and I thought it appropriate, given the story we learned from the king and the fact that our son was given to us as your son was given to you."_

_Hajime's smile was blissful._

"_Then Renji is…either my son, or descended of him. You must forgive me. I do not know how the line has progressed. The Kuchiki lifespan is long, but when bonded with the king's must have lengthened. I don't know where he fits in."_

"_Renji was a child of the Rukongai," Byakuya explained, "There are no records of his birth or lineage. All that was known was that he was a member of the Abarai family."_

_Hajime nodded._

"_I left my son with them to protect him. I meant to make his heritage unclear…for his safety."_

_Hajime's head tilted slightly and he looked at Byakuya inquisitively._

"_You said that your Hajime was a gift to Renji and you. That means that you…"_

"_I married Renji not having any idea of his lineage."_

_Hajime's eyes sparkled and he looked as though he wanted to laugh, but simply smiled instead._

"_You married a male peasant? I'll bet the council loved that!"_

"_The council had already allowed me to marry a peasant woman. After her death, they considered me cured of my tendency to deviate from the rules. Apparently, they miscalculated. They worried about heirs, of course, but once we found a way to produce them, the council had little ground left to stand on. But they did give us a difficult time."_

_Now Hajime laughed softly._

"_Byakuya, you may be descended of my brother, but I think you share more in common with me. The council in my time hated me. I was supposed to be heir to the clan leadership, but I left the Seireitei to avoid it. They went looking for me, of course, but I caught the attention of the king and was taken into the spirit dimension. I think the council was relieved I didn't return. I know they must have taken great pleasure in erasing even the memory of me after…"_

"_Did you know that you would be reborn?" Byakuya asked, looking up into the sakura branches._

"_No. When I made my choice, I truly chose to yield my life to protect my king. And I would do the same again."_

"_That is how I feel about Renji. He isn't just my life partner. We were soul bonded when we faced the queen. The soul bonding allowed us to bind our zanpakutou releases to create the divine dragon. It was powerful enough to kill the queen and destroy the talisman, but the power of the attack actually took us with it."_

_Hajime's eyes widened._

"_Then how is it that you are here? How were you saved?"_

"_My sister convinced the king to intervene. He usually doesn't, but I think that losing you placed too much of a burden on him. He did not intervene in your decision to die as you did, because he found your death to be an honorable one and he wouldn't deny you that. But that choice wore on him. And he chose not to let our association end in that way. He seemed to see it as consolation for losing you. If something of that love continued, it relieved his pain to know that your love continued on in us and our children."_

"_I should have recognized Renji as my own on sight," commented Hajime, stretching, "He favors the king…same color hair, eyes…same build."_

_Byakuya's eyes widened._

"_You could see the king's face?" he asked, surprised, "That's not supposed to be possible…"_

"_Not while one lives, no. I saw it briefly as I passed from life. He revealed himself to me. It was a gift he promised me when we fell in love."_

_Hajime leaned forward slightly and brought a hand to Byakuya's face._

"_May I share the memory with you?" he asked._

_Byakuya nodded._

_He heard Hajime's soft whisper in his ear, then the scene around him slowly faded._

_-Hajime, we should go back-_

"_There is no way I'm going back there! I'm not like them. I know I am expected to honor the clan with my obedience and respect, but I draw the line at being forced to wed against my will! I'm just glad I got out of there before they made the official announcement!"_

_He stopped for a moment, brushing the sweat from his brow and surveying the area. The air next to him shimmered and a youthful elfin creature appeared at his side._

"_Are you sure about this?" the creature asked._

"_Zetsumei Kakyoku, you of all souls should know. I know what I'm doing. The council hates me…and if I wanted the burden of hatred on my heart, I would return the sentiment! But this is for the best. My brother is much more suited to that life. He's lectured me often enough about being obedient and honoring the clan…well, if he likes the idea so much, then he can do it!"_

_His eyes dropped to the small path they followed and his eyes darkened._

"_Mei-Ka, I know it's wrong. I know it goes against all we are taught…but I…I can't go back there. I can't marry someone I do not love…nor can I make children just to satisfy the clan. These things are sacred things," he said, meeting the eyes of his zanpakutou's spirit._

"_They should not be entered into by those whose hearts are not in them."_

_He sighed softly._

"_I want to know love, Mei-Ka. I want to feel what it's like when you know that you are meant for someone. And when my child first draws breath, I want it to be because we willed it to be so."_

_The elf creature rolled his eyes._

"_You do have a romantic heart…foolish one. But," he said, smiling affectionately, "I do understand. Just…don't expect them to."_

_He turned his head and surveyed the land behind them._

"_They have sensed us. If you truly do not wish to return, you had best hope we find that opening again soon!"_

"_It was right here somewhere…ah, here. Come, Mei-Ka!"_

_The elf creature faded and Hajime stepped forward, reaching out and touching the opening he had sensed in the dimension wall. Kneeling, he extended his hands and pushed at the opening, working his way forward. As he moved forward, he could see the gardens ahead of him on the other side. The dimension wall hummed and pressed in uncomfortably, but fortunately for the young man, did not seal itself. He reached the other side and began to work his way out, when he heard pounding feet on the pathway in the world behind him. He pushed the rest of the way in and suddenly found himself falling. He landed roughly, but unhurt at the base of a giant sakura tree._

_Brushing the twigs and sakura petals from his clothes, he stood and looked around, his young eyes going wide as he realized exactly where he was. The shock of it sent him scrambling for the opening, but as he returned to the place where it had been, he realized that the tear had closed and repaired itself._

"_Ah, kami, what in all that's holy am I supposed to do now? One does not enter the spirit dimension, let alone the king's garden without invitation…" he whispered._

"_Hajime…"_

_He turned, wide eyed at the sound of his name and found that someone was standing in front of him, someone tall and tanned, with the light all around him, obscuring his face and lighting the beautiful red lengths of his hair. Hajime froze. A warm palm came to rest on his cheek and a light dizzying sensation weakened his knees._

"_M-my lord, please forgive me for intruding…" he managed._

"_You are welcome in my garden, Hajime."_

_The hand dropped away from his face and he felt his breath returning. He stared a moment longer, his mind racing, then lowered his eyes._

"_I imagine I need to explain myself," he said softly._

_The Spirit King laughed softly._

"_You needn't explain anything, Hajime," he said affectionately, "I know what carried you away from them and through the dimension wall. I heard the contents of your heart and I decided to allow you entrance."_

_Hajime blinked in surprise._

"_You…opened the dimension wall…for me?" he asked, "Why? Wasn't it my duty to stay with them? To be their leader? To make heirs?"_

_The king laughed softly again._

"_If you were meant to do those things, I would not have intervened. But I have watched you for a long time. You were not meant to serve as they do. I thought that perhaps you might serve me more directly. The tree we stand beneath is blessed with foresight. I sought her thoughts and she suggested that you would be the one who could assist me."_

"_Of course, my lord, if you wish something of me, you need only say the word, but…what is it that you would have me do?"_

"_Hajime, the ancient Sakura has sensed a threat to my family. It seems that the Captain of the Queen's Guard has become…enamored of her. I have sensed also that she returns his affections. I have spoken to her, but she refuses to acknowledge her heart. She fears for the future of her children. She wants them to inherit the throne and fears I will disown them if she leaves me. I would not do that…but she is not convinced."_

"_So how is my assistance needed?" Hajime asked._

"_I need you to watch him…to watch him carefully. I worry that his jealousy will cause him to bring violence upon our family. I wish for you to work closely with him to protect the family, but you will also watch him. Will you do this for me?"_

_Hajime bowed his head._

"_You are my king. I will do anything you ask," he replied softly._

_The king brought his hand back to Hajime's face._

"_Then because you have honored me with your commitment to duty, I will offer you a gift, Hajime."_

"_A…gift? My lord, you needn't…"_

"_I know," the king said softly, "but I find your dedication to me pleasing. And I would offer you something in return."_

_Hajime gazed up into the light and warmth of the face he could not see and he felt the soft brushing of lips against his. He froze at the feeling of something so perfect, but doubt shot through him. The king had a queen. Why was he doing this?_

"_M-my lord…I…" he stammered, stepping back._

_He could still feel the soft, wonderful warmth of those lips touching his._

"_Hajime," the king said quietly, "Do not be concerned. My marriage is one of convenience. I told you. The queen is in love with another. And in truth, I am in love with another as well."_

"_But…"_

"_When you ran from them and stood before the dimension wall, you said that you wanted to know love, Hajime. You said you wanted to know what it was to feel that you were meant for someone."_

_Hajime continued to stare in silence._

"_I sensed some time ago that my queen did not love me. And the thought frustrated me. She does not speak her heart or act upon it, but I have long felt it, just the same. In my frustration, I sat beneath the ancient sakura and whispered to her my discontent. And, feeling my distress, she offered to send me one who could offer me the love I sought. She said that the way was dangerous, but that if I wanted to know true love, I must be willing to take the risk to find it. It was then that you were born to the Kuchiki family. I watched you as you grew and were shaped by fate and experience…and with time I saw as she did the perfection in her vision."_

_Hajime furrowed his brow._

"_But…why then am I male? Wouldn't you desire a woman for something like that?"_

_He felt the warmth of a smile touch him._

"_You are exactly who you were meant to be, Hajime. Your spirit is the one that completes mine. Gender is unimportant in such things. Tell me what you feel when I kiss you, Hajime."_

_The king's lips captured his again…and again the breath left him and his knees weakened. He had to admit to himself that he had never felt anything of such perfection._

"_Well?" the king prompted him._

"_I feel…honored, my lord," he said softly._

_The king's arms wrapped around him and held him close. And Hajime felt his heart opening, feeling, surrendering in a way it never had. As the kings mouth took hold of his again and the intensity of the kisses grew, Hajime Kuchiki finally felt calm inside…peace overwhelming the sense of guilt he had always felt for not desiring the life he had been given. There was, he discovered, a reason for everything…even his defiance._


	7. Rebirth

"_Come with me, Byakuya," Hajime said, helping him to his feet, "There is a stream a short distance away from here and quite a lot of berry bushes if you are hungry."_

_Byakuya followed the other silently, studying the slim, lithe form, the black flowing hair, the way he walked…everything. It was a wonder seeing this one he had only seen in the stories in the archive, suddenly standing before him in full living color…alive and breathing. But he wasn't fully alive, not yet._

"_You still look a bit shaken, Byakuya," Hajime said, bending to gather water into his curved palm, "Now then, I've shared something of myself with you. Perhaps you should bring me up to date. I am interested to learn what has happened in the years I've been away."_

_He turned his eyes away to study their tranquil surroundings._

"_I imagine the council had me erased from all records once word came of what I had done…"_

_Byakuya nodded._

"_Nearly everyone believed you betrayed and tried to murder the king, then were cut down by Royal Guardsmen. But Prince Kazuhiko actually witnessed your self-sacrifice. For a long time, he could not tell the king. I do not fully understand his reasons, but he kept that secret until recently…after the diary fell into my hands and I began to follow in your path…with the princess at my side, leading me to my death as she had led you. But when the talisman gained control of me, it sought not just to kill the king, but all of the royal family. The princess was the first to die at my hands, followed by the head captain of the Royal Guard. I re-entered the spirit dimension and sought to reach the king. But I had been forewarned of what would be…and I had prepared Renji for what was to happen. He arrived in time to stop me and to defeat the hold the talisman had over me. It next invaded the queen and she sent her personal guard to massacre the Kuchiki families, then sought to kill the prince and the king. Because Renji and I became spirit bonded, we were able to combine our attacks to create a 'divine dragon' that allowed us to defeat her. More recently, the prince decided that he wanted to make amends for the treachery of his mother. He renounced his right to the throne, giving it instead to our Hajime. We have done our best since then to protect him, but we were forewarned that he would face danger and that it would bring about your return."_

"_And you say that someone has been calling Hajime?"_

"_Yes, he has told us that he hears a strange voice calling for him. I do not know the source of the voice…only that the power that I felt when I was near it felt like that of a zanpakutou."_

_Hajime's eyes widened._

"_A zanpakutou, you say?"_

"_Yes," Byakuya confirmed, "Hajime said that he heard the voice singing…and that he felt compelled to follow it. It led him to a sakura tree that I was given by the ancient sakura. We found him sleeping beneath it, with that feeling of power around him…and we could not wake him for some time after, due to that power."_

_Hajime broke into a smile._

"_Mei-ka!"_

_Byakuya gazed at him for a moment._

"_Your zanpakutou?" he queried._

_Hajime nodded._

"_My zanpakutou is Zetsumei Kakyoku. His release command is Saezuru…Sing…"_

"_That means that…"_

"_He wasn't calling your Hajime at all, Byakuya, Mei-ka was calling for me. He was likely confused when your son kept going to him. Your Hajime's reiatsu would have been similar to mine, so Mei-ka would have known not to harm him. He probably only made him sleep as he did to conceal himself until such time as I came to him. So Mei-ka survives. I wasn't sure what would have happened to him, although the ancient sakura assured me that he would return to me."_

_Byakuya breathed a soft sigh of relief._

"_Then the sleepwalking is not a sign of the threat we are guarding against," he said, gazing into the water._

"_No," said Hajime, glancing at him and following his gaze, "but my return is a sign that something will happen soon…and that something will endanger us all. Byakuya, before we return, I have to give you a warning. I was told by the ancient sakura that my return will either end the threat to the heir or it will end the lives of all of the bloodline. I must successfully protect Young Hajime, because if I fail to do so, he and all others who share my blood and the king's will perish."_

_Byakuya turned and stared at him in surprise._

"_Then…Takeshi, Chisaki, our twins and Renji all?"_

"_All will perish," Hajime said softly._

"_And as I am soul bonded with Renji, that means that I will die as well."_

"_Yes…and there is one thing more. If that happens…it will bring about the death of the king, himself. I do not know the mechanism of his death, only that I was warned of this. I assure you that once I have returned, I will see to Young Hajime's safety."_

_He stepped closer to Byakuya and studied him carefully, then stepped back, smiling._

"_Byakuya," he said, meeting the calm gray eyes, "your reiatsu has been restored. The time has come. When you wake, you must return to the sakura tree where Mei-ka was. Give the command, 'Saezuru, Zetsumei Kakyoku,' and his power will be released. He will be able to complete the rebirth ritual to bring me back."_

_He sobered slightly._

"_It will consume all of our reiatsu again, so you should warn Renji and your children that we will be incapacitated for a time after."_

_Byakuya nodded._

"_What must we do to return to my body?" he asked._

"_Just close your eyes and will it. Your reiatsu is strong enough now to allow your return. I am bonded to your spirit for now and will go with you when you leave this place."_

_Byakuya closed his eyes and pictured the archive, willing himself to return to it. There was a moment of hesitation, the world faded around them and Byakuya felt himself pulled back into the cool darkness of the archive._

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya opened his eyes and found that he had collapsed on the archive floor. His body felt stiff and ached fiercely, but he righted himself and sat for a moment, letting the life return to his limbs and breathing slowly to chase the cobwebs from his mind. He felt the strong pulse of Hajime's life force radiating inside him and remembered his ancestor's instructions. Slowly, he climbed to his feet and made his way to the archive door. As he opened the door, he came face to face with a sea of worried faces. Renji was on his feet instantly and threw his arms around the noble, holding him tightly.

"Dad!" the children said, climbing to their feet and wrapping themselves around him.

Byakuya held them close, smiling as warmth and life reclaimed him.

"Now, are you going to tell us what in the hell is going on?" Renji asked, brushing a tear away from his eye, "You disappeared into that place and we waited all night, wondering if you were coming out."

He touched Renji's face gently.

"I am sorry that I worried you. I assure you that I only now was given to know what was happening. I will explain."

Byakuya sat down on the walkway, leaning back against the wall and Renji sat down next to him. The children clustered around, listening closely.

"Long ago, before the fall of Hajime Kuchiki, the ancient sakura foresaw what was to be and saw also that she could not act to prevent it. So she set in place a way for Hajime's spirit to be taken to a safe place upon his death and kept there until such time as a Kuchiki clan member would find his diary and act to clear his name. That action was a sign that the time was nearing that he would be able to attempt a rebirth ritual. It required a soul of sufficient power to complete the ritual…and that soul is mine. When I entered the archive before, Hajime attempted to send his spirit into my body, but the first attempt only partially joined us. This is why when I came out of the archive, I collapsed and it is why there seemed to be another reiatsu inside me. I had to regain the strength to return to the archive to complete the transfer of Hajime's spirit through the diary and into my body. He fully resides there now, though, having regained my own power, I am in control."

"So…he's…inside you?" asked Takeshi, looking into Byakuya's eyes.

The others leaned forward, looking as well.

"Yes…this is what our Hajime sensed when he was in the room with me before."

"But what happens now?" asked Renji, "How do you complete the ritual?"

"It turns out," Byakuya explained, "that the voice our Hajime has been hearing was not calling to him after all. That voice…is the voice of the elder Hajime's zanpakutou. It has returned and waits by the sakura tree near the waterfall to finish the rebirth ritual. He called to the elder Hajime to bring him there. It is there we must go for the end of the ritual."

"What will happen during the ritual?" asked Renji, "It won't be painful for you, will it?"

"Not painful…no," Byakuya explained, "but you must be aware that it requires a great output of reiatsu. It will leave both Hajime and me unconscious for some time after. But when we wake, we will be fine. I just don't want you to worry. Everything will be fine. But we do need to complete the ritual now."

"Right now?" Renji said worriedly, "Bya, you just…"

"The process of rebirth is putting great strain on my body and my spirit energy. I have to finish the ritual before I am overcome by the demands of it."

"Then let's go," Renji said, climbing to his feet and offering Byakuya a hand.

Byakuya stood and looked back at the children.

"You should go to sleep. The sun will be up soon and you will be exhausted. I will have Renji with me. We will be fine."

Takeo glanced at the others, reading their expressions, then looked back at Byakuya.

"Dad…not to be disrespectful, but I don't think that any of us are going to sleep anyway," he said quietly.

"We promise to stay back," Takeshi said, "and we won't involve ourselves in any way."

Byakuya glanced at Renji and Renji smiled wearily.

"Well…being that they are related to me and knowing what _I_ would have done at their age, they're likely to follow after us anyway. Maybe it's best if we take them along. I can shield them if it becomes necessary."

Byakuya hesitated for a long moment, then released a discontented sigh.

"I don't think that they only inherited such instincts from you, Renji," he said, allowing himself a small smile, "I would have done the same. I imagine it would be best to maintain control of the situation as best we can."

"Then we can come along?" asked Chisaki.

"As long as you remain behind Renji," said Byakuya firmly, "This will expend massive amounts of spirit energy, enough to incapacitate me."

"Yeah," agreed Renji, "Get too close and POOF…you are toast…Got it?"

The children nodded.

"Takeo," Byakuya said quietly, "I want you to watch over Hajime."

Takeo nodded and gathered the boy in his arms.

Byakuya turned away and led them across the silent gardens. They passed through the gate and moved out onto the forest path. They began to hear a soft voice singing in the early morning darkness and felt calm and peace pass into them.

"That is Zetsumei Kakyoku," Byakuya said softly, "He has sensed my approach and is welcoming me."

Byakuya moved ahead of them, his yukata fluttering softly in the breeze, giving his shadowy form a soft, ghostlike quality. Renji held the others back, following at a distance as they came into the clearing at the top of the waterfall.

The place had become something magical. Heavy mist blanketed the sakura trees that dotted the cliff above the waterfall. Early morning light was beginning to break through and lit the moisture in the air and on the falling petals like tiny stars. Dew shined like small diamonds on the grass and everything had the fresh, unspoiled scent of a lovely spring morning. And underneath the sakura Byakuya had been gifted with, sat the small whiplike elf. Lively green eyes lifted and met Byakuya's, shyly at first, but then widening and sparking with excitement and relief.

"Hajime?" he whispered, as though not quite believing his eyes.

Byakuya smiled back at him and the elf drew closer, placing his hands on the noble's face and studying his calm blue and gray eyes.

"Mei-ka," Byakuya whispered, allowing Hajime to surface, "I have missed you these long years. How did you survive?"

The elf brushed tears away from its eyes.

"When you fell onto me and forced me to end your life, the mother tree sealed my spirit away in one of her seeds so that the loss of you would not destroy me. I grew alongside of the baby tree until the time came that life was given to it and then I was released."

"So," Hajime said softly, "in truth, we both owe this second chance to the same person…It was his life force used to give life to the tree, and his body and reiatsu have carried me to you for the last of the rebirth ritual. Are you ready, then?"

"Master Hajime," whispered the musical voice of the elf, "I have been ready since before your last breath."

"Then let us begin."

The elf took Byakuya's hands and their eyes locked. Heavy, thundering waves of spirit energy rose around them, rumbling through the earth beneath them, shaking the trees and swirling the grass at their feet.

Renji pressed back against the children.

"Stay back now," he warned them.

The spirit energy swirled around Byakuya and the elf, making their hair whip about on the breezes and their clothing snap in the sharp gusts of wind. Under the heavy current, the others could hear Byakuya's voice.

"Saezuru, Zetsumei Kakyoku!"

Golden light exploded around the elf, lifting him gently into the air as his song broke over the howl of the raging wind. The song began low pitched and earthy, curling around Byakuya like something alive, solidifying and enclosing him inside a shining, living, breathing cocoon. Light shot through, showing the outline of Byakuya's encircled body. The song rose in pitch and became as sharp as the edge of a knife. Byakuya swayed as it broke over him and with infuriating slowness, another form began to emerge. Drawn out by the heavy, commanding sound of elfsong, the other slid free of Byakuya, coming to rest on his feet, facing the noble, light flashing brightly around him as his body began to resolve itself.

The elf's voice snapped across the cocoon that held them, shattering it and sending the two shinigami to their knees. Hajime's dark blue eyes rose to meet the dark gray of his descendant's. He smiled gratefully as the elfsong died and the power around them faded.

"Byakuya Kuchiki, my great-grandnephew, I thank you for this!" he whispered.

Mei-ka's arms wrapped around Hajime and lowered him slowly to the ground and Renji ran forward to capture Byakuya in his arms as the noble collapsed. Light flared a final time around them and when it faded, Hajime lay sleeping on the ground beside Byakuya with a lovely sheathed zanpakutou in his hand and resting along his side. The elf was gone and the air was suddenly filled with early morning birdsong.

Renji reassured himself that Byakuya was merely sleeping and called softly to Takeo.

"Take him," he said, motioning to Hajime, "We should get them back to the manor to rest. Byakuya said that they would have to sleep to replenish their reiatsu."

Renji lifted Byakuya in his arms, and followed by the still awestruck children, walked slowly back to the manor.


	8. The Lost Heir

Renji leaned over Byakuya's peaceful, sleeping form and kissed him gently before pulling the blankets over him and then moving to close the garden doors. The room was left dark and quiet and the air around them was filled with calm as the noble's reiatsu slowly began to restore itself. He would need to sleep for quite some time, Renji thought…as would the other.

For the first time, Renji Abarai gave thought to what that actually meant. He didn't feel like an orphan anymore…or like he was just another street kid from the Rukongai. He was a descendant, not only of the noble Kuchiki family, but of the king's own blood. How closely related he was to the king, he didn't know. But he knew that now that Hajime had returned, it changed things profoundly for him.

He had, of course, known for quite some time about his connection to the Kuchiki family and the king. But somehow, even though he had been face-to-face with the king himself, had been recognized and welcomed, had learned the tale of some amount of his past, that past had never seemed as real as the one spent in Inuzuri with Rukia, struggling to survive.

It must, he thought, lie in the fact that while the king was real and alive, he dwelt in another dimension, away from the ebb and flow of Renji's life, his existence. Hajime was more like him. And now returned, he was here, in the Seireitei, living and breathing alongside Renji…giving him a connection to a past he hadn't known about before and hadn't cared so greatly about until now.

He left Byakuya sleeping and made his way down the hallway to the guestroom where Hajime slept. Hanataro sat at his side, carefully monitoring the slow return of his reiatsu and checking him from head to toe to be certain all was well. Renji watched curiously as he bathed Hajime's body in healing green light, then slowly let it fade. Hajime slept peacefully, his lips upturned and his hand still wrapped lovingly around his sheathed zanpakuto.

"Is everything all right?" Renji asked Hanataro.

"He's fine," the healer assured him, "his reiatsu is returning as expected. He will still need to sleep to regain it completely, but when he wakes, he will be fully recovered."

"That's good," Renji said, studying the face of his ancestor, "Thank you Hanataro."

The healer rose.

"I'll go check on Captain Kuchiki now."

"Yeah, he's still sleeping too, but he looked comfortable when I left him," Renji said, looking back at Hanataro.

He turned back to Hajime and sat down in a chair next to the bed. It was clear to him now why the king had been so interested in Byakuya. The similarities were definitely there…in the pale, glowing skin, in the deceptively delicate appearance of a body he knew to be capable of great releases of strength and power. It was in the lines and curves of his body, in the black, silken hair and in the reiatsu that was slowly returning after waiting hundreds of years to return to life. But his ancestor's face wore a lighter, more carefree expression than Byakuya's usually did…and he knew from earlier, when he had seen Hajime's eyes, that unlike Byakuya's, they were a dark, vibrant blue. He wondered what his voice would sound like, what his personality would be like…and a hundred other things, as he sat looking down into the quiet, pale features, gradually connecting with a history that was only now becoming real to him.

And it struck Renji what this man had actually done. He remembered what the evil talisman had done to Byakuya. It had taken this man as well. And like Byakuya, Hajime had been overcome by its power. But faced with the realization that he was about to be forced to kill his beloved king, he had found that inner strength, that humbling of self, that allowed him to shatter the talisman's power and yield his own life to protect the one he loved. Renji had seen Byakuya exude that same strength, that same willingness to sacrifice himself to protect and keep safe the ones he held dear. And to think, that same blood ran in his veins…

But he wondered why he looked so different. He wondered why he didn't have his ancestor's smaller frame, lighter skin or darker hair…why he was so tall and lanky and had been so clumsy until years of training had given him the grace with which he now moved. It must, he thought, have been the mixing in of common blood. But Renji knew better than to be sorry for that. He was wise enough to know that it was that same common blood that had given him the strength to survive the streets of Inuzuri. It gave him strength born of need, the will to protect…the desire and determination to change things for the better.

His mind drifted to the child Hajime and the king had made together. How difficult, he thought, it must have been to know that he was doomed, to have to place that precious one in the hands of another and to take the awful steps that led to his own death. He thought about his own children and his mind centered for a moment on Takeo. He had not been a part of Takeo's youth…but if he had known, if he'd had any idea he had a son, he couldn't have resisted the urge to find him. Hajime had looked into the eyes of his son and had done what was best for him…even though it meant never seeing him again. But he'd really had no other choice. Not if he wanted their child to survive. Renji couldn't imagine the pain of making a sacrifice like that.

He didn't know quite what gave him the need or the courage, but he found himself reaching out to take the hand of his ancestor. It was as soft and warm as Byakuya's, but had an even more slender feel to it. As he held Hajime's hand, the dark blue eyes opened for a moment, met his and his lips curved into a smile. His eyes slid closed again, but the warmth of that smile stayed with Renji long after he left Hajime and returned join Byakuya in their bed for the night.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji breathed a sigh of relief when he woke to find Byakuya curled into his arms and sleeping more lightly. A quick check of the noble's reiatsu told him that it was nearly restored and when Renji nuzzled closer and made a line of kisses along his throat, Byakuya shifted in response and opened his eyes.

"Was I sleeping so long that I left you feeling neglected?" Byakuya asked softly.

"Not so long," Renji assured him, "just all of yesterday and last night…but if you're offering…"

Byakuya's lips stopped the words, but there was no need for them anyway. Renji indulged in several long, passionate kisses, then reluctantly pulled away. Byakuya looked at him questioningly.

"If you're awake, that probably means Hajime is, too. Shouldn't we go…I don't know…see if he needs anything?" Renji asked.

Byakuya yawned.

"It's quite early for entertaining…others, that is."

Renji's eyes narrowed.

"Didn't you just…pretty much give birth to another person? Aren't you still worn out?"

"I've had plenty of sleep, Renji. I am fine."

Byakuya studied him quietly for a moment.

"You mean…you…aren't interested?"

The words snapped in Renji's mind like the crack of a whip.

"Oh…oh, hell! I think I just gave you the totally wrong idea…" he stammered, "I didn't mean to sound like I didn't…"

"I understand," Byakuya said, gracing him with an amused smile, "you are very interested in learning more about our ancestor. It's only natural, Renji. I can't begin to imagine how you must feel, suddenly having this new connection to that part of your past…living, breathing, sleeping just down the hall. You must be quite anxious."

"Yeah…you could tell, huh?" Renji said, blushing, "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"Stop apologizing, Renji," Byakuya said, narrowing his eyes, "We are soul bonded. I know exactly what is going through your mind. I didn't misunderstand at all."

"Then why…"

"I was joking…"

Renji laughed softly.

"Why does it still catch me by surprise when you do that?"

"I don't know, but I certainly enjoy taking advantage of it," Byakuya said, leaning forward to kiss him again, "Seriously however, we need to contend with the fact that Hajime's return, however welcome, is a sign of coming trouble. We must carefully prepare ourselves and the children. We will need to proceed with great caution from this point forward."

"We already have extra security, not to mention the elder Hajime and Shoji to watch over young Hajime," Renji said, thinking, "What more are you thinking?"

"I am thinking about guards for the rest of the children as well. Renji…when I went into the archive this last time, I was transported to the dimension where Hajime dwelt after his death. And while we were there together, he gave me a warning that I think you need to hear. He said that he must be successful in defending our Hajime. The ancient sakura told him that should his mission to protect young Hajime fail, all of those who share his and the Spirit King's blood will die."

Renji paled.

"All…that means…our kids…"

"And us," Byakuya finished, "He also said that it would bring about the death of the Spirit King, himself."

"Kami…Byakuya…How are we going to stop this. I mean, we're facing an enemy that we can't even see yet. We know it's coming, but it could come from anywhere…at any time."

"Yes," Byakuya agreed softly, "but we have what we need to defend ourselves. We were successful in bringing Hajime back to us. And today…as soon as it is late enough, I will take Hajime before the council and officially recognize both his return and the prophecy that relates to it. We will gather the clan around us and we will fight whatever enemy comes our way…together."

And despite Renji's continuing concerns about what was going to happen, he found himself bolstered by the return of strength to his soul bonded's eyes.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hajime sat up slowly, breathing the fresh air deeply and feeling the return of blood and reiatsu to his body. Even more fulfilling than that was the return of his connection to his zanpakuto. He felt the warmth and liveliness of Mei-ka's feisty reiatsu just beneath his own and the pleasant feel of power flaring inside him. He thought again of Byakuya and smiled with an unequaled depth of gratitude.

His first and strongest desire, of course, was to return to his king. They had been apart for so long…and he knew the king had already sensed his return. But any visit to the king must occur after the younger Hajime's safety was seen to. But as soon as it was possible…

Hajime smiled, thinking longingly of being held in those powerful, warm arms…surrendering to a hail of stormy kisses that would fill the sky with stars and a full moon, even in the daylight. And the king's touches on his body were as light and beautiful as the touch of soft fern and flower petals, his scent dark and earthy, his voice filled with angelsong.

_We will be together again soon, my Hajime…when all is made safe again._

"Hai, my lord," he whispered softly.

He climbed out of bed and dressed, then slipped out of his bedroom and into the gardens. They had grown even more beautiful than he remembered them. He sensed quickly that this had to do with the influence of the clan's current leader…and his great-grand-nephew, Byakuya. A great deal of care had gone into the arrangement and care of every part of this garden…which made sense when he considered the family's connection to their monarch.

He walked the path around the garden in silence, his eyes bright and his mind as busy as ever. He was so deeply entrenched in thought that he nearly missed the presence of the clan guards. They glanced at him appraisingly, but seemed aware that he belonged. Only the youthful looking lead guard gave him pause, but he imagined that it was the youth's stern demeanor that had won him such a position within the household.

He moved on, enjoying the display of plants and flowers and the lovely koi pond. He reached the center of the garden and turned toward the room where he sensed the reiatsu of both Byakuya and his descendant.

He remembered the red haired man coming into his room to sit with him as he recovered. This was his descendant…Renji Abarai…son, grandson, great-grandson…he wasn't sure, but he was one of them…and coming to Renji Abarai was going to lead him to know the fate of his and the king's son…

"Akemi…" he whispered, "my son…what I wouldn't do to learn your fate…"

"A thousand pardons for disturbing you, sir," said a soft male voice, "but I would be happy to offer you some tea, if you would like."

Hajime turned and smiled warmly at the servant.

"Arigato, I would appreciate that," he answered with equal warmth.

The servant hurried off to the kitchen, leaving Hajime alone near the garden patio. He looked up as the doors to Byakuya's room opened and Byakuya and Renji stepped out into the gardens. Their eyes turned to the patio and met his. Hajime smiled and inclined his head in greeting.

"Good morning, Hajime," Byakuya said, nodding, "I hope that you slept well."

"I slept very well…arigato, Lord Byakuya," he replied, "and I hope you did, as well."

"I did."

Hajime stepped closer to Renji, studying him closely.

"So…" he said softly, "you are my descendant. You are Renji Abarai…street rat from the Rukon…soul-bonded with Byakuya."

Renji smiled and nodded.

"I don't quite know what to say," whispered Renji.

Hajime smiled back at him.

"We are in an odd situation, Renji Abarai. We know we are connected, but we don't know how."

"That does make things really odd," Renji agreed.

Hajime sighed.

"I would be very honored if you would share with me what you know about yourself…where you grew up, who you knew…and how you came to the Seireitei…and into the very household from which you descended…without even knowing the details of your own lineage. It's amazing, I think, how fate works with us to lead us to our destiny, Renji Abarai. It will be interesting to see where it leads us now that we have met."

The three turned as the servant returned and set the tea out on the patio table, then scurried back to the kitchen to begin preparations for breakfast. Byakuya, Renji and Hajime sat down at the table.

"It's hard to know where to begin," Renji admitted.

"Just start at what you feel to be the beginning for you," Hajime suggested.

"Okay…" said Renji uncertainly, "I have no idea where I was born. My first memories are all from when I was being cared for by street kids. I grew up alongside them like the other kids of the Rukon…the only oddity being that, although no one seemed to be able to tell me anything about my past…I had a name…Renji Abarai. And I guess the thing that put me on a collision course with Byakuya…was the day that I met Rukia."


	9. In the Wolf's Shadow

Hajime heard a sharp sound of surprise from across the room as he followed Byakuya into the Kuchiki Council meeting chambers. He gazed in the direction of the sound and his eyes went wide at the sight of a grizzled old man looking back at him.

"Nori!" he breathed.

"Hajime!" the old man said, smiling widely, "How can this be? How can you be here?"

He touched Hajime's face lightly, then wrapped his arms around the amused noble.

"My cousin…how is it you have not aged?"

"Lord Byakuya will explain…but great kami, it's good to see a familiar face!"

The councilors took their seats and Head Councilor Nori called the meeting to order.

"This special meeting," Nori said, "has been called by Lord Byakuya to give a report on what seems to be quite a miracle…"

"As all of you know," Byakuya said solemnly, "the true history of Hajime Kuchiki was recently uncovered and brought to light, clearing his name and paving the way to great changes…changes that culminated in the naming of my son, Hajime Kuchiki, as heir to the throne. What has not been previously revealed, is that we have learned of a serious threat to the crown prince…and that threat has triggered the rebirth and return of the Hajime we thought lost. As King's Protector, Hajime has been given the task of defending the crown prince. I have come before you to warn all of you of this threat…and to urge you to all remain vigilant. As we learned when the queen attacked our family, when one of us is threatened, all are in danger…and we must gather around and protect each other. Security is being tightened around Kuchiki Manor and the Kuchiki Council Hall, and I recommend that each household do likewise to ensure the safety of all."

He turned to Hajime.

"Would you please address the council?"

Hajime stood.

"I know well that previously, my name darkened the history of the Kuchiki Clan. And even before that, I dishonored this family with my refusal to conform to its expectations. I have long wished to make my peace with my family again, and to walk freely among you. To be here with you…it is a gift I thought lost…and indeed, most I knew are gone. But you are my family still, and before I go out to meet this challenge, to defend my descendant and my king, I ask the clan's forgiveness for my prior failures…I ask for your blessing as I face this task…and I ask for your support. I offer you my humblest apologies for my past wrongs…and I rededicate myself to making my family proud, to honoring our name and our reputation among the noble houses."

Nori turned to the other councilors and spoke with them in a hushed tone. Then he rose and moved to the head of the table. He stood, facing Hajime, studying him for a long moment, then embraced him.

"Hajime Kuchiki," he said, smiling, "The Kuchiki noble family welcomes you back, with open arms. We accept your apology and we offer our blessing and our support as you act in defense of our crown prince and our king."

Hajime caught his breath softly and blinked away the sudden tears as he returned Nori's embrace.

"Arigato," he whispered, "Nori…this means everything to me!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"So," said Renji as Hajime and Byakuya sat down at the patio table for tea, "How did the council meeting go?"

"Very well, actually," Hajime said with a peaceful smile, "They were quite willing to offer their support."

"Hmmm…" muttered Renji, "that doesn't sound like the council I remember. Not at all!"

"Oh come now, Renji," Byakuya said with a short chuckle, "they did grovel quite nicely when they learned you had royal blood! They haven't given either of us much trouble since."

"That's true," Renji grinned, "They stopped using the word 'mongrel' to refer to me…"

"And we've had more invitations to family events than we can manage," Byakuya added.

"Nobles!" Renji sighed.

"Royals!" Byakuya countered, looking amused.

The conversation stopped for a moment as the servants arrived to set out their tea. Hajime sipped at his tea, letting his eyes run about the garden, admiring its beauty.

"You know, Lord Byakuya," he said, "the gardens are even more beautiful than they were when I lived here. I sense your influence. From whom did you inherit the talent?"

"My father," Byakuya said quietly, "He loved to make things grow…to nurture life."

He sighed softly.

"He wasn't so much meant for the role he played in the family. My grandfather pushed him to achieve…and he was very talented. But one day, talent proved not to be enough. He was fatally injured in a battle with hollows and he died a short time after…in the healing center."

"Which is why you hate that place so much…" Renji said, looking at him sympathetically.

"Which is why I hate that place so much," Byakuya repeated, gazing out into the garden, "But despite losing him…I always feel his presence here."

"I feel many presences here," breathed Hajime, "It feels good to be here again. It's just so odd…seeing my cousin, and him being so aged. And most I knew have passed on. But I look forward to finding out how exactly, you and I are related, Renji."

"Me too," said the redhead.

They were interrupted by a frantic cry from the back gate. The three came to their feet quickly as Chisaki burst into the gardens, carrying a soaked and crying young Hajime.

"What happened?" Renji asked, starting forward.

"It's Takeo," Chisaki sobbed, "W-we were swimming at the lake, when a huge hollow came out of nowhere. Dad, Takeshi and Shoji were keeping it back, but Takeo's hurt really badly!"

Byakuya disappeared.

"Go inside," Renji said calmly, "and watch your brother."

Renji and the elder Hajime flash stepped after Byakuya, blazing down the forest trail and emerging at the top of the lake. Byakuya flash stepped down the cliff face and into the meadow, Senbonzakura appearing in his hand as he moved in between the two youths and the huge, growling hollow.

"Why have you come here?" Byakuya asked coldly, "How dare you trespass here and harm the ones under my protection!"

He lifted Senbonzakura and the blade flared pink. Renji flash stepped into view and dropped to his knees beside Takeo.

"Takeo," he said softly, gazing down into the young man's stricken eyes.

"Dad," Takeo said in a choked voice, "t-tell B-byakuya…he's…he's wicked fast…and so much stronger than he looks…"

"Shh," Renji said, cutting away his son's shirt and setting his hands over the bloody wounds on his chest, "It will be all right. Byakuya has Hajime, Takeshi and Shoji helping him. He'll be all right. I'm going to take care of you, but I need you to stay with me."

"I'm n-not going anywhere…Dad," Takeo said, smiling weakly.

"You're sure as hell not!" Renji said, focusing and raising healing light around his hands, "I'm not letting you out of my sight!"

Takeo nodded and relaxed beneath his father's healing hands. Ahead of them, in the meadow, Byakuya's power glowed bright and pink, and he loosed a huge cloud of petals in the direction of the hollow. The beast gave a deep, throaty laugh and inhaled the blades, then sent them spinning back at Byakuya. His eyes flaring, he raised a kido shield and the petal blades crashed against it, dissipating.

"Hado #63, Soren Soukatsoui!" he cried, sending the twin blast of power in the hollow's direction. Again, the beast engulfed the attack and sent it back at the shinigamis.

"It's like Captain Ukitake's power," Byakuya mused aloud.

"We'll have to distract it and then hit it," said Hajime.

"Let us distract him!" Takeshi yelled, shifting to wolf form and growing until he was large enough to carry Shoji. His cousin leapt onto his back and the wolf charged the great hollow. As they closed in, they spun off to the side and Shoji released a blast of kido. The group became breathless as the hollow emitted another blast of petal blades.

"What?" gasped Hajime.

Byakuya shook his head.

"Apparently, it can continue to use my attacks, once it engulfs them. Don't attack it yet," he told Hajime, "We may need your attack as a killing blow."

Hajime nodded. He stood ready and raised a shield over Takeshi and Shoji as the two turned and rushed at the hollow again. Again, the beast sent a blast of petal blossoms at them. Byakuya raised his spirit energy until his reiatsu glowed around him and brushed like wind over the long grasses. He waited as the red wolf flashed across the meadow and Shoji sent a blast of kido at the hollow. Immediately, Byakuya loosed his kido blast. To his surprise, the hollow simply let the smaller blast hit him and inhaled the greater kido blast, then sent it firing back across the field.

Byakuya and Hajime flash stepped clear and Hajime drew his zanpakutou, then charged the creature, sidestepping the blasts of kido and petals as he closed in. The shinigami swung his weapon down as Takeshi and Shoji appeared, weapons drawn and closed in behind the hollow. Sensing that he was being surrounded, the creature rose into the air and sent a huge blast of petals and kido so bright that it momentarily blinded the four. They stood, blinking and waiting for their eyes to clear. When they could see again, they were surprised to find that the creature had vanished.

"Stay on your guard!" Byakuya called out as he flash stepped back to Renji and Takeo. He knelt at the injured shinigami's side and added his healing power to Renji's.

"We need to get him to the healing center," Renji said in a low voice.

"I'm faster," Byakuya said quickly, "I'll take him."

Renji nodded wordlessly, watching and giving his son an encouraging smile as Byakuya carefully lifted him and flash stepped away.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji sat in a chair in the waiting room of the healing center with Byakuya at his side. His eyes flicked back and forth between the entry doors and the white door, behind which the healers worked to save his son.

"I hate this…" he muttered, "this damned waiting. He was in really bad shape, Bya. He was dying…"

"I saw his wounds," the noble said quietly, "but I think we got him here in time."

Renji sighed heavily.

"I should have just taken him to young Hajime…I should have thought of that…"

Byakuya shook his head.

"Our Hajime couldn't have helped him," he reassured Renji gently, "You saw him when Chisaki brought him to the house. He was in shock. He is a powerful healer, but he is a child, still. Renji…don't beat up on yourself."

Byakuya sat down next to the redhead and pulled him close. Renji rested his head on the noble's shoulder and blinked to clear his eyes.

"I'm being kind of selfish, aren't I?" Renji sighed, "I know you and Takeo have gotten really close. I sometimes forget that he's not yours, you know?"

Baykuya nuzzled closer and slipped a hand into Renji's.

"Renji…Takeo…he became my own the minute I knew he was yours."

"I know," said Renji apologetically, "I didn't mean it that way. I just…I meant I should have realized that you would be hurting over this too. Bya…not much is left that really scares me…but I'm scared of this. I can't imagine…I mean, remember when we thought we lost Takeshi?"

Tears broke free and dripped down the redhead's tormented face. Byakuya brushed them away and held Renji tighter.

"It's going to be all right," he whispered, "We are not going to lose our son."

The door to the examination room opened suddenly and Captain Unohana stepped out. Renji and Byakuya stood together, Renji clenching Byakuya's arm tightly as he searched the Squad Four captain's face for a sign of Takeo's fate. She stepped closer and Renji felt his heart stop.

"He is alive," she said quietly, "but he is very weak. I cannot tell you what will happen. It will depend on his strength…and his will to live."

"Can we see him?" Renji said, his voice a hiss of agony.

"Go on," the healer said gently, "He is asleep, but you can sit with him."

They walked into the room together and sat down in chairs next to the hospital bed. Takeo lay in the bed, too pale and still, his breathing uneven and ragged. Renji slipped a hand into his and the young man's eyes opened and met theirs, blinking and uncertain.

"You're going to be all right," Byakuya assured him calmly, "You just need to rest quietly now."

"Th-that…hollow…" Takeo managed, "Did you…kill it?"

Byakuya shook his head.

"I'm afraid it slipped away from us."

"You…have to…stop it," Takeo said, shifting uncomfortably, "It…it was…after…H-hajime…"

His fathers' eyes widened.

"Are you sure?" Byakuya asked quickly.

"Y-yeah," Takeo said, straining to get the words out, "It…ignored the rest of us. It wouldn't have attacked me at all…if I…I…hadn't gotten in the way. I told…Chisaki to take him and run. Is he…okay?"

"Hajime is fine," Renji said, a tear sliding down his cheek, "and you'll be fine too. Takeo…you need to rest now. I'll stay right here. I won't leave you."

"N-no…Dad," the young man moaned softly, "You have to protect…Hajime. Don't let that…thing…hurt…him…"

Takeo's head dropped back onto the pillow and his eyes closed. Renji stroked his hand gently.

"Shh…rest now…just rest. Everything will be all right, I promise."

Renji leaned his face against their joined hands. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

"Bya," he said, nearly sobbing, "you have to go."

"Renji?" Byakuya said uncertainly.

"I can't leave him…so I need to know that you're there…protecting our other children. I'll take care of Takeo, but I need you to watch over them…please, Bya."

Byakuya curled an arm around his distraught life partner and kissed his wet cheek.

"Hajime, Rikichi and our entire security force is watching over the other children tonight, Renji. I will go back in a while to check in on them…but for now, I'm staying with you. At least until we have a better picture of things."

Renji opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. His head dropped back onto the noble's shoulder and he descended into silent sobs. But the arms that wrapped around Byakuya conveyed something deeper even than gratitude.

"He's going to be all right, Renji," the noble whispered in his ear, "He will be…I feel it."


	10. Betrayed

Hajime the elder stood quietly beneath the sakura at the top of the waterfall, watching the light disappear and the moon and stars rise into the night sky. He sighed softly, enjoying the touch of soft breezes through his hair, but unable to dismiss the thoughts that tugged at his mind. Mei-ka manifested next to him and followed his gaze out over the meadow.

"What is troubling you, Master?" the elf asked, watching as he dropped to his knees under a bright shaft of moonlight.

The elf dropped down next to him.

"Something is wrong," Hajime whispered, "I have felt it since the confrontation down there. Mei-ka, the hollow…"

"What about it?"

"It looked at me…and when I looked into its eyes, I froze. It was like the blood had gone to ice in my veins. I could not move."

"That hollow had an odd look about it," agreed his zanpakuto.

"It was so strong…you could feel it on the air…and the emotion around it was so powerful, you could see it shine."

He paused, thinking.

"But there was something deeper, a secret…something that we don't know, some bit of fate…and if we don't discover it before this situation ends…our mission will fail."

The elf placed a hand on his shoulder and drew his eyes upward.

"We are stronger together than any hollow, Master."

"Mei-ka…the mother tree…before I left, she told me something. She said that it was not strength that would save us, but love. I don't know what she meant…"

"Perhaps she merely meant that our family must all stick together," suggested the zanpakuto, "We must take care of our family, our loved ones, and so doing, we will succeed."

Hajime closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.

"That makes sense," he admitted.

The elf looked up suddenly.

"Someone approaches."

Hajime looked up and spotted the young leader of household security. An odd feeling of disquiet entered his body and he motioned for the elf to conceal himself. Me-ka shimmered and faded and Hajime slipped further into the trees. He watched as the security leader flash stepped down the cliff face and out into the meadow. The youth made his way to a stand of oak on the far side and waited beneath the trees.

Hajime worked his way slowly closer, watching the youth carefully. He sensed a powerful presence and heard the guard talking. Moving closer, he saw a dark, cloaked form under the tree. He extended a hand and the guard took something from him. The young guard stared at the thing in his hand, then looked up sharply at something the other said. The cloaked form melted back into the trees and the guard started back across the meadow. Hajime waited until the other reached the clearing near the sakura tree before stepping away from the trees and coming face to face with the security leader.

"Tsutomu…" he said calmly, "That is what they call you…right?"

The guard looked up and Hajime felt a shiver of surprise. His eyes were glazed over and lost.

"You…" he said in a dazed whisper, "He wants you out of the way. You are all that stands between the hollow and the crown prince. He has ordered me to kill you."

Hajime pulled his zanpakuto free and stepped back slightly. The guard made no move for his weapon, but raised his hands, holding something up. There was an odd flash of light and Hajime felt the area around them fade.

"What are you doing?" he asked softly.

A dark blue sphere formed around them, cutting them off from the outside.

"I am making sure no one knows of our battle and no one interferes. This sphere encloses all of our power here and will allow us to fight without distraction."

The guard drew his weapon.

"Shatter…Kyoka Suigetsu…" said a soft, tranquil voice.

Hajime stared as the guard fell back and lowered his sword and a tall man dressed in white appeared beside him.

"Thank you, Tsutomu," he said quietly, "You have reached the end of your usefulness."

Hajime did not even register the movement of the tall man's weapon as blood exploded from the body of the young guard and he fell to the ground. The man in white looked up at him and smiled.

"You must be Hajime Kuchiki."

Hajime gazed at him in silence.

"I am Sosuke Aizen. I am actually the one who gave Byakuya your diary. I know you are the king's lover…his protector. I am sorry to send you back into death so soon after your return, but you see, I am determined that the hollow I sent will succeed in wiping out the king's line."

"You seem quite arrogant, Sosuke Aizen," said Hajime, meeting his eyes calmly, "Byakuya has told me about you…and the evil you have done to him and our family. But even if not for that, you make yourself my enemy by using lies to kill and destroy. And be assured that the power you possess will only fade before mine. I am not a god, as is my king, but as his protector, I am a powerful defender of both truth and justice. Both will see you defeated. You cannot match me."

Aizen smiled.

"I am glad you are so confident, though I know that your blade has yet to draw blood since your return. Perhaps you shall draw some of mine. If you should be so powerful as to do that, I would be honored to accept injury at your hands."

There was the sharp hiss of a flash step and the clang of metal as Hajime's sword slashed down and crossed Aizen's. Hajime turned and slashed again, meeting Aizen's sword time and again in a blinding volley of attacks and parries.

"You fight with more speed than Byakuya," Aizen commented, "and Byakuya is one of the fastest swordsmen I know. Look…you've cut my sleeve. But you have put yourself too far away from me…and now this fight will end."

He raised his weapon, holding it point down."

"Shatter…"

He was interrupted by a huge blast of kido that erupted from Hajime's hands and forced him to flash step away. The blast struck the wall of the sphere and the sphere cracked slightly. Aizen stared, smiling more widely.

"Why there, you've surprised me. I thought none could break the sphere. And here you've gone and cracked it. I was right. You are powerful, Hajime Kuchiki. But as soon as I loose my shikai, your power will fail you. My illusions will control all five of your senses…and you will fall before me…"

Hajime's reiatsu flared a brilliant blue around him, the light making his eyes shine and spark.

"Loose your shikai," he said, raising his sword, "and watch its power disappear before mine…"

Aizen raised his sword again.

"Shatter Kyoka suigetsu…"

Aizen disappeared and reappeared suddenly in back of Hajime, his sword sinking deeply into the noble's unprotected back. Hajime gasped and started to fall.

"So easy…appallingly so…" muttered Aizen, stepping forward to give him the finishing blow.

He sensed danger and flash stepped away, just in time to see the false image of the noble shatter and Hajime's sword slash downward. It caught Aizen's shoulder and redness oozed out, staining his white clothes. The leader of the hollows frowned and loosed a flurry of high speed attacks. When they finally broke away from each other, both were bleeding from numerous minor wounds.

"So…" Aizen said as they paused and circled each other, "You are able to use illusion as well?"

"I do not deal in deception," the noble said, holding his weapon ready, "You actually made contact with my body…but when I am attacked, I leave behind a shadow…and that shadow is what you destroyed."

"Ah," said Aizen, "but if I continue to make contact with your body, you will grow weaker, ne? You will eventually be cut to pieces."

It will never get to that point," Hajime said, frowning.

"I see…well, why don't test that?"

Hajime's reiatsu flared around him again as Aizen disappeared. Kyoka Suigetsu slashed at the noble again, but was met with a blinding volley of slashes. The two swords crashed against each other, sending blue sparks into the air around them. Aizen studied the hell bent enemy before him with appreciative eyes.

"You saw through my illusion," he mused, "How interesting. How did you do that? The ones who see my shikai are supposed to be vulnerable to my illusions. Tell me, what is that power you are using, Hajime?"

The noble flash stepped clear and turned his blade to the light.

"This is Zetsumei Kakyoku," he explained, "My zanpakuto uses sound waves your ears do not hear. These waves of sound travel outward as I fight and I control their cutting ability. Adjusted properly, they cut through a soul like a knife…or they can be swollen and blunted to pummel an opponent. Most recently, this power was the one that separated my soul from Byakuya's and brought me to life. But souls are not the only thing my weapon can cut. And what I attacked was your illusion. The sound waves pulsed all around, found you and cut away the illusion you used to hide from me."

"And this is just your shikai…" Aizen breathed, "Fascinating…Will you show me your ban kai? Do you have one? You must…"

Hajime's lips curled into a smile.

"You wish to hear the death song?"

"A ban kai named after your sword?"

"Appropriately named, it seems," Hajime answered, "for all who are within range of the death song are affected. All allies around me sacrifice half of their power to raise the power of my ban kai…and all enemies who hear the song are affected. The weakest are killed instantly…some others will be made senseless and unconscious or lose their minds. Most are incapacitated…but you are very strong, Sosuke Aizen. You would be slashed, but it would take several tries to defeat you."

"You would not have that much time," Aizen said matter-of-factly, "You would fall too soon. For such a powerful ban kai would also drain you quickly, would it not?"

"All powerful beings like me have more than one application of ban kai. I would use the application I described on a battlefield with many enemies…as a last resort. I also have an application that works with a single opponent…but perhaps you would like experience it with your own body?"

He stepped back and raised his sword.

"Ban kai…Kokoro Jumon…Zetsumei Kakyoku…"

Blue light exploded around the noble's body, blinding Aizen momentarily. As Hajime reappeared, Aizen inhaled in surprise. The noble stood before him dressed in brightly lit blue robes and holding a slender, blazing fire sword. Wind whipped the long strands of his black hair, making them dance hypnotically, the blue light flashing on the fluttering lengths. The already entrancing dark blue eyes sparked with life and lit the porcelain skin of his face. His robes flowed sweetly on the breezes.

"This is Zetsumei Kakyoku's true form…a blazing sword that enchants all who hear its song. You think that your power of illusion is strong, but it will shatter as you are swept into the arms of this enchantment. You will die, but you will be more than happy to do so…for dying by my blade is the most beautiful death a soul reaper can experience."

Hajime's fiery eyes met Aizen's.

"You hear it already, don't you?" he said softly, "Come then, Sosuke Aizen. Dance with me…Dance with death!"

Aizen stared at the shining spectacle that stepped forward to meet him. He knew he should move, but the mesmerizing beauty of the fully revealed soul reaper and weapon held him spellbound. He felt that beauty wrap around his heart and make it beat faster, the blood run hotter in his veins. It was like falling in love as Hajime closed in on him, raising his weapon. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the noble's eyes captured his and the fire sword slashed down.

The blue sphere exploded and smoke and haze distorted the air around the fighters. Aizen reappeared at the edge of the cliff, and gazed back at Hajime.

"You are very beautiful and I will not question your ability," Aizen said appreciatively, "It is no wonder that the spirit king desires you. After I kill him, I will have you as my consort…whether or not you wish it. I had thought to enslave Byakuya…but you are much more worthy of one such as me."

"Do not insult me with such nonsense," spat Hajime, "As long as I protect the king, you shall not draw near. And if you try, I will destroy you."

Aizen's smile widened and he flash stepped away.

Hajime turned back and flash stepped to the fallen guard. Tsutomu lay, covered in blood and gasping for breath. Hajime knelt next to him, extending his hands over the guard's wounded chest.

"Wh-why?" panted the youth, "Why are you…helping me? I…He…made me betray my lord…Lord B-byakuya!"

Hajime met his eyes calmly.

"Whatever your crimes, you do not deserve to die this way. You are Lord Byakuya's servant and it his decision how to address your transgressions. In any case, I sensed you were not your own master when I saw you here. He has been controlling you, hasn't he?"

The youth nodded.

"I…t-tried to resist…but…he was…too powerful. I…despise myself…for my weakness. I thought that nothing could ever…make me betray…my master. But…Aizen…he…"

"Be calm, now," Hajime said touching a palm to his forehead, "Sleep."

The youth's eyes closed and Hajime continued his healing. He heard footsteps on the forest path and looked up to see Byakuya with a group of house guards.

"Lord Byakuya," Hajime said quietly.

"We sensed a battle," Byakuya said, studying the area around Hajime.

"We were in a battle sphere, but my ban kai shattered it…and the power escaped," Hajime explained.

"You and Tsutomu?"

"No," Hajime said softly, "I was battling Sosuke Aizen. He was controlling Tsutomu. Your servant was distraught at having been so used."

Byakuya gazed down at the youth sadly.

"I know the weight of that guilt. It was all too recently that I experienced it myself."

Hajime's eyes darkened and he nodded in understanding.

"This young man, even though he is powerful, was no match for Sosuke Aizen. He was carefully targeted, because he had a place close to you."

He paused, studying Byakuya's face in the darkness.

"What will you do?" Hajime asked, looking back at Tsutomu.

Byakuya sighed.

"I will talk to him. And I will have Captain Unohana deprogram him. She can actually help him to resist more capably if he is ever attacked again. She was quite instrumental in assisting me after my return from Las Noches…"

The security detail lifted the injured guard and carried him back toward the manor. Byakuya and Hajime left a group of guards near the waterfall and started back down the forest path.

"How is Takeo Abarai?" Hajime asked softly, "I am hoping that your presence here is an indication that he is improving."

"His condition is still guarded," Byakuya admitted, "but Renji could not bear the thought of both of us being there and neither being here to help protect the others. He is beside himself with worry for our son."

"Your eyes tell me that you carry that burden as well, Byakuya. An odd thing to see in a man who took on his lover's child, that was not his own. I imagine it raised more than a few eyebrows. But then, you, like me, define family a bit differently than most nobles…"

"Yes…it seems I do."

They walked on for several minutes in silence.

"Hajime," Byakuya said as they reached the back gate, "you said that you fought Aizen. How did you fare against his weapon?"

"I was not seriously injured, but neither was he. He wasn't fighting me with his full strength. He was curious. He would have killed me then and there if I had proved to be a lesser opponent…but I showed him enough of my power to make him wary…or at least to give him pause…"

Byakuya nodded.

"I don't imagine he was frightened off. I think he has withdrawn to consider how best to address our combined strength. He didn't know enough about you to plan for you. Now, he will plan."

Hajime smiled.

"Then it is good, I think, that I did not reveal everything…"


	11. The Shadow Wolf

Takeo Abarai felt life returning to his body. Beneath the comforting numbness of the healing kido, he felt the residual pain of the deep slashes. But even as much as it hurt to draw breath, he was deeply grateful to be alive. He opened his eyes and met Renji's, blinking as his cleared. He gave a soft, dismayed gasp at the sight of his father's tormented expression. Upon seeing Takeo awake, he tried, of course, to hide it, but the younger man saw right through the ruse.

"D-dad," he said in a shaky voice, "s-sorry."

Renji frowned and blinked away the rising tears.

"What?" he said softly, "Why in the hell are you apologizing to me? If anyone should apologize…I should…for not being there."

Takeo shook his head.

"You…you're always there…when we need you…Dad," he whispered.

The door opened and Byakuya entered the room. He met Takeo's eyes with an expression of heartfelt relief and sat next to Renji, wrapping an arm lightly around the redhead's slim waist.

"Takeo," he said softly, "It is good to see you awake."

The young man set a trembling hand on Byakuya's arm.

"It's…good…to see you…too, Dad."

"I just talked to Captain Unohana," Byakuya said reassuringly, "She is confident that you will make a full recovery."

"Will…I get to…come home soon?" Takeo asked, "Our Hajime…that thing…is still out there."

Byakuya nodded.

"Takeo," he said gently, "We will protect our Hajime from the hollow…but we have questions about it. Do you remember if there was anything odd…or unusual about it…anything that set off warning bells…or just stuck in your mind?"

Takeo's eyes darkened with thought.

"W-well, he…obviously wanted our Hajime…even said…his name. And…there was…one more thing. His eyes…they were…"

He paused, his eyes drooping as he started to lose consciousness again.

"Takeo?" whispered Renji, worriedly.

"They…were…not like…a hol…"

"Takeo?" Renji repeated, his voice shaking.

"He'll be all right," Byakuya assured him, placing a hand on his arm, "It is better that he rests and doesn't become agitated."

"I know, I know," Renji said miserably, "Captain Unohana said so…but…Bya, he looks so damned pale! He's so weak, you know?"

"He's getting stronger," the noble insisted.

He stood and stepped behind the redhead, where he placed his hands on Renji's shoulders and began to massage them gently. The redhead's face still expressed torment, but his head dropped back against Byakuya and he sighed softly, blinking back the tears in his eyes.

"Takeo just needs rest," Byakuya said quietly, "And you can stay with him as long as you want to. I will watch over the others, Renji. And I won't be alone. The elder Hajime is very, very strong."

"Yeah?" Renji managed, looking up into the noble's dark gray eyes.

"Yes. Today, Aizen Sousuke came to the area near the waterfall…and he engaged the elder Hajime to test his strength."

"Aizen was at the manor?" Renji said, looking panicked, "Bya! That's…"

"It's fine, Renji," Byakuya assured him, "Hajime is very strong. He was able to hold his own against Aizen without being injured."

"That's good," Renji said softly, but his eyes still reflected worry.

"But?"

"But…there's not just Aizen, but that hollow to worry about…"

"Yes," agreed the noble, "but we know more about the hollow, now. We know that it was sent specifically for our Hajime…and that it steals the power of any zanpakutou it encounters. It is very dangerous and powerful, but we possess what we need to keep it at bay. It will be all right."

He paused for a moment, looking down into Takeo's troubled expression.

"Renji," he said quietly, "I am locking down the manor. I have already sent our girls to Karakura Town and most of the staff has been sent to safer locations within the clan. I have the best of our security staff and members from the sixth division on guard duty."

"Ah…good," Renji said, "Bya, thanks for taking care of things and letting me stay with him…"

Byakuya kissed the rest of his words away.

"It is good to be able to comfort you, for a change, Renji. You have spent too much time worrying over and comforting me. Let me take some of the weight off of you, for a change. Let me be there for you…as you have always been there for me."

Renji brushed tears away from his eyes and met the noble's mouth for several deep, needy kisses. He wrapped his arms tightly around his lover and breathed in the sweet, comforting scent of sakura. He buried his face in the long black waves of hair and thanked kami that he and Byakuya had ever found each other.

_It's so different now, _he thought,_ Back then, all I wanted was to be better than him…to surpass him. Now, all I want to do is hold him. I could do that for the rest of my life and I'd be so damned happy._

"What are you thinking about?" Byakuya asked, lifting his head to meet Renji's eyes.

"I'm just thinking about how blessed I am to have found you, Bya. Everything I have in my life? Everything that's good? It's all because you chose me. You chose me to be yours when I was nobody…when I had nothing, not even a name. And now, my life is full of blessings."

Byakuya sighed softly.

"Unfortunately, it's also filled with dangers. It might have been safer if you'd just stayed my vice captain forever."

"Safer maybe," Renji said, kissing him again, "but I much prefer this…all of it. Even though it's hard sometimes. Even though it's dangerous and we sometimes get hurt. I love you…Bya."

"And that love is wholeheartedly returned," the noble said, returning the gesture.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sosuke Aizen stood in the trees below the waterfall, next to the huge, glowering hollow. He realized it was barely controlled by his power, but it was that kind of power that was necessary to secure the young prince and to erase the spirit king's line from existence. It was, he thought, a bit sad that Byakuya would die along with them. He did, deep down, still harbor a soft spot for the lovely noble. But there were other Kuchikis…not the least of which was the enchanting Hajime. The image of him, dressed in the firelit blue robes and raising Zetsumei Kakyoku remained with him and teased him as he turned to the hollow, plotting his next move. Perhaps, if it worked, he would be able to snare Hajime and partake of that wonderfully lovely body that had only ever been touched by the king, himself. It would be some recompense to him, he thought, that the king that came after, would seek his loins and bind Kuchiki blood, once again, to the throne. Yes, the king's line must end and all descended of him had to die. But Hajime could live on…and would, either way, be the bearer of future kings.

He smiled as he gave the hollow his instructions.

"You have engulfed the power of my zanpakutou," he said softly, "You can use it to approach the manor. Be cautious of being seen by Byakuya, as he seems to have become resistant to its power. Do not engage him directly. He will die when you kill Abarai Renji, so you needn't trifle with him. Go now and find the young prince. Leave an illusion to hide what you have done…then take him to the Valley of Lost Souls…and wait for the rest of them. They will come…and you will annihilate them!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Hajime stepped into the shower and let the hot water run down his slender body, sending a soft sigh through him and making him think of his home with the king. When he closed his eyes, he could almost feel the king's wonderfully warm hands slide around him, capturing him and holding him close with one, while the other slid down his body and pleasured him and the king's lips brushed his ear with hot breath, then a beautifully warm mouth. He shivered at how real it felt, how he could feel his lover's body touching his back, how the hand between his thighs knew just how to touch him, to bring his body to life and fill him with the desire to join his body with the king's.

It was almost too real…

He felt the king's mouth bite down on the lovely white flesh of his throat and the hand sliding up and down his hardened length tightened, making him gasp softly. The king's voice whispered for him to keep his eyes closed, then the king's body slid down the front of his and the king pleasured him with a deliciously warm mouth. Hajime moaned and his body trembled with arousal as that wonderful mouth moved, sucking and licking, teasing with lips and fingers until the young lord felt everything inside him give way and hot seed exploded out of him. He cried out in pleasure as his release was quickly devoured, and barely held himself on his feet as the last bits were licked away.

He wondered how this was possible…if his lord had simply tired of waiting for him, had reached out through their connection and was somehow making this happen. It seemed that must be the case as the king's body rose up next to him again and the familiar voice sounded in his ear.

"Hajime…Hajime…will you give yourself to me?" he asked softly.

"I withhold nothing from my lord," Hajime responded breathlessly, "I mean to serve my lord in all things…and in all ways."

He heard a soft laugh and something began to feel wrong about what he was sensing. He caught his breath and opened his eyes, then froze as Sosuke Aizen's voice broke across his stunned mind.

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu…"

All resemblance to his king disappeared from the body that held his trapped against the shower wall, the hands that touched him, the voice that sent his mind spinning into oblivion. He realized as he felt himself falling that this was the only way Aizen could have captured him…to lure him into complacency…to give him a false sense of security…to disable him too quickly for him to engage his shadow form. His powers were sealed away, and then he was bound quickly and carried out of the bathroom, across the grounds and out to the area beyond the waterfall.

He wondered at the ability of the traitor's zanpakutou to fool everyone…to hide the sounds of protest he managed to make as he was carried off and away from the manor. He imagined that Aizen would kill him quickly. If he knew of the prophecy, he would know that to kill him would end everything.

But if he didn't know, then there might still be hope…

Hajime clung to this hope as Aizen came to a stop in the meadow and set him down. He tightened the noble's bonds and gagged him to prevent him any recourse whatsoever. He wasn't taking any chances. He had tested Hajime's powers carefully and knew better than to underestimate him. He stood quietly near the bound noble, as though waiting for someone.

Hajime shivered, partly from the cold and the fact that he was still naked…and partly from a familiar, malevolent reiatsu he sensed approaching them. He looked up as the hollow dropped down into the meadow, carrying his young descendant, Hajime. The boy was clearly spellbound…not fighting the hollow at all, but relaxing in the beast's arms as the creature stood, awaiting instructions.

"Take him now…to the Valley of Lost Souls. Keep him there and wait for the others to arrive. Do not harm the boy until you have killed the others. Take him last…and enjoy him. He will taste heavenly, I promise. I will join you in the valley…as soon as I have seen to some other business," he said, looking back at the elder Hajime.

Hajime watched with a sinking heart as the hollow carried the young prince away. Aizen returned to him and stood over him for a moment, looking down at him with devilish, hungry eyes. He reached down and touched a hand to the noble's forehead, sending him falling into blackness. Hajime wondered briefly if he would be brought awake again before the end.

_I'm sorry, my lord…please…forgive me…_

He wasn't sure, but he thought he felt a loving hand touch him for a moment and the king's bracing whisper telling him to keep fighting…that it wasn't over yet…

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji left Rukia sitting with a sleeping Takeo and left the healing center for the first time since his son's injury. He stopped first at his division and checked in with Momo and Kira, and was immediately sent on his way with a warm reminder of just how much his friends looked out for him. Everything was being kept in perfect order during his absence. He thought he understood in reality now, the peace of mind he had given Byakuya when the noble had taken leave for injury or other reasons during Renji's tenure as the noble's vice captain. And while he loved being a captain, there were times that he longed for just a while, to sit at his old desk and watch Byakuya pore over his reports, his sensuous lips barely moving and his fingers curled lightly around the edges of the papers. He wanted to ask if Byakuya wanted tea…to walk down the familiar hallway, whistling to himself and smiling as he prepared it. It was the simple things that had made those years beautiful…and he found that it was the simple things that he keenly missed, having moved on.

He suddenly found himself standing at the door to the sixth division. Oddly, though it was late and he hadn't thought Byakuya had been planning to work that evening, the lights were on and when he touched the door handle, he found the door unlocked. He turned it and opened the door, then stepped inside and closed it behind him.

Rikichi's seat was empty, but Byakuya's, he found, was occupied. The noble looked up at him, surprise registering across his calm features.

"Renji?" he queried softly, "Are you lost? Did you forget you were promoted?"

The redhead shook his head and smiled.

"I was in the neighborhood…and I thought I'd stop by and ask you something."

Byakuya gazed up at him questioningly.

"Would like some tea…Captain?"

Byakuya's lips curled into a sweet smile and he nodded,

"Tea would be good, Abarai…arigato," he said softly.

The noble turned back to his work, dismissing Renji. The redhead turned down the hallway, nostalgia breaking over him as he took the familiar steps, located the tea and carefully prepared it the way his lover liked it. He poured it into two cups and carried it back to the front office, gently placing one in Byakuya's slender, pale hand. He watched as the noble raised the cup to his lips, tasting it and quietly nodding his approval. He set it down and turned his head to look at Renji as he sat down in the chair next to Byakuya's.

"I want to thank you for everything, Byakuya," he said, smiling warmly, "I can't imagine how I would have handled Takeo's injury without you there to pick me up and keep me going."

"No thanks are necessary, Renji. You have done far more for me than I could ever repay."

"Well," said Renji softly, taking Byakuya's hand, "If you have a little time, I would like to offer you some 'repayment' for all you've done for me. I want to be with you. We've hardly been together since I got back. I checked in with the manor and everything is secured. The kids are all under heavy guard and Hajime is there. He hasn't left the garden all evening. He's sure that Aizen will make a move soon. But while we have a moment to breathe, I want to spend that time with you…please…"

"Renji…my lover…my soul bonded," Byakuya whispered, leaning forward and capturing his lips in a gentle kiss, "I am yours."


	12. Intent to Follow

The elder Hajime woke with an awful headache and no recollection of how he had ended up tied to an unfamiliar bed, his slender body bared, legs parted wide and tied with heavy kido ropes to the bedposts. His hands were raised above his head and wrapped around the hilt of his unsheathed zanpakutou. A blindfold had been placed over his eyes and he was gagged. He felt two dark presences in the room with him…one a shinigami and one a zanpakutou.

_Mei-ka…can you hear me?_

The zanpakutou was present and appeared unharmed, but acted as though he couldn't hear.

_He is likely deceived by Aizen's zanpakutou…and if he won't hear me, then I cannot use him to free myself. I wonder what Aizen plans to do with me bound like this? If I get control of my zanpakutou, I could…_

"Hajime Kuchiki," said Aizen's soft, too pleasant voice, "Welcome to Las Noches. Are you comfortable…or perhaps you would answer me better if I unbind your mouth."

Soft hands freed him from the gag. There was a pause, then a hot, insistent mouth fastened on his, the eager tongue thrusting inside as something sharp touched him, warning him not to bite down on the invading appendage. He nearly did anyway, so enraged was he by the intimate treatment by anyone other than his beloved king. He strained against the bonds that held him, but found they were too strong for him to break.

"You smell like Byakuya," commented Aizen, "and your flesh is sweet, like his. Such a beautiful creature you are, Hajime…I want to taste more of you."

The traitor's lips broke away from his and slowly explored his face and throat, then followed the curve of his shoulder.

"You will regret this," the noble hissed softly, "You have no idea of the wrath that will strike you…of what already affects you."

He laughed as Aizen's mouth found his pink nipple and began tormenting it.

"Go ahead, Sosuke Aizen," he taunted the traitor, "see how far you get before my lord's protections snare you!"

"Do you really think your king can protect you, Hajime?" Aizen asked, running his tongue down from the center of his chest to his navel and sinking inside it, "I've already tasted this much of you and nothing has happened. I am unconcerned about whatever useless protections surround you. Now, I want you to summon your ban kai. I have taken all but that power from you. I leave you that power because I want to take you in that form. Now, summon your ban kai, but don't expect your zanpakutou to listen to any other commands, because it won't."

"I won't need any other commands to kill you. Very well then, Aizen."

"Oh please, Hajime, call me Sosuke."

"How about I call you 'foul traitor' or better yet, 'backstabbing coward,'" the noble hissed, "You may think you have made a conquest, but I warn you that you are very, very mistaken!"

"Release your ban kai. I want to see you like that again…"

Hajime laughed softly.

"You are a fool, Sosuke Aizen…and your foolishness is about to lead to your destruction. Very well then…"

He took a breath and tightened his hands around his weapon.

"Ban kai, Kokoro Jumon, Zetsumei Kakyoku!"

Power exploded around the two, shaking the room around them. Aizen caught his breath as the bonds on the noble shattered and his sword slashed downward. The bed they were on exploded into splinters and Hajime landed lightly on the floor across from him, dressed in the flowing blue robes, his eyes flaring brightly and his zanpakutou lit with blue fire.

"You see, you arrogant fool!" Hajime exclaimed, his power blazing around him, "You cannot contain what does not belong to you! And your powers will never equal mine, let alone his majesty's!"

Aizen smiled and stepped towards the noble, ignoring the blazing weapon in his hands and cornering him.

"Then if I am such a fool, why not cut me, Hajime? Do you fear I might have affected your powers in other ways?"

"I don't need my powers to fight you!" Hajime snapped, "My naked sword is more than enough to loose your head from your shoulders!"

He slashed at Aizen, then watched in dismay as the zanpakutou slipped through him without harming him. He caught his breath sharply as he was forced back against the wall and a body he couldn't see trapped his and set fresh restraints.

"What have you done, you bastard?" screamed Hajime, "How are you doing this?"

Aizen smiled.

"Once I had control of you so that you could not use your special abilities, I was able to use Kyoka Suigetsu to throw off your senses. I am not standing where you see me, nor is my voice coming from the place you perceive it to be. I am holding you against the wall and have bound you there, but you do not sense it because the power of my zanpakutou has you in it's thrall. And now, while your senses are thrown off and you cannot defend yourself, nor call on your zanpakutou, I am going to claim my first bounty in my war against the king!"

He wrapped his hand around the noble's throat and opened the blue robes. A hand touched the noble's face and silenced him, leaving him staring and speechless.

"Now then, Hajime Kuchiki, today you will do your first service to your new king…"

He pressed his body up against the restrained shinigami's and brought his hardened member to the noble's entrance. He met the flashing blue eyes and was stunned to see the smile that crawled across Hajime's face. He thrust forward and nearly fell as the body he had trapped against the wall glowed brightly and suddenly disappeared.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya opened his eyes and realized that it was well after midnight. He still laid, entangled with Renji on his bed in the sixth division's Captain's quarters. Renji slept soundly for the first time since Takeo had been wounded and Byakuya was grateful for the small respite, despite the danger. He studied Renji's face in the darkness and ached at the signs of continuing worry. The noble knew his life partner was pushing limits, both physically and emotionally, but being Renji, he wouldn't let up until the threat to their children had ended.

And that was one of the things he admired most about Renji. He would always give every last ounce of his energy to protecting his loved ones…and Byakuya was deeply touched to have a place high on that list. But even such a warrior as Renji Abarai needed to rest while things were quiet, so Byakuya touched his lover's forehead lightly, sending his reiatsu into Renji and deepening his sleep, then he kissed the warm lips that had so recently brought him such deep pleasure and rose from the bed.

He showered and dressed quickly, shivering softly in the chill of early morning. Leaving Renji sleeping comfortably, he left the sixth division and flash stepped back to Kuchiki Manor, his thoughts focused on maintaining tight defenses and protecting young Hajime at all costs. He was relieved to have such a powerful defender as the elder Hajime to aid them in their efforts. They couldn't afford to let down their guard for a moment.

Byakuya passed through the gates and nodded to the security guard on duty. He moved forward, into the gardens and looked around for the elder Hajime. To his surprise, his ancestor was nowhere to be found. He moved on to the guest room and stepped inside, feeling a chill as he sensed what the others had to have missed. Aizen's reiatsu was everywhere.

"No!" he hissed softly.

He ran out of the guest room and flash stepped to young Hajime's room. A hand flew to his mouth as he saw through the illusion that none of the rest had.

"H-hajime…" he whispered, his face going white.

He could feel that his distress had awakened Renji and he felt the brushing of his soul bonded's mind against his.

"_Bya…what's wrong?"_

"_Come home now, Renji. They have the elder Hajime…and they have our son!"_

XXXXXXXXXX

Young Hajme woke to find himself cold and alone except for the huge hollow that sat, looking at him. His power was sealed away and his wrists and ankles were tightly bound with sturdy kido ropes. He shivered softly at the sight of the big hollow…at the hunger in the eyes that observed him.

The hollow's eyes were, he thought, very odd…not red or gold or anything in between, but unusually gentle and brown. But he was smart enough to know that this creature was anything but gentle, no matter what his eyes looked like.

He looked around as best he could, being so securely bound and found himself to be in a cold, desert valley that was hung with an odd mist. It didn't seem like water, but more like living smoke, twisting and showing shifting forms and faces. This valley, then, was a place for the dead…and this hollow had brought him here to die. But it waited for something…or someone…

"Do you speak?" he asked the hollow.

He knew that while lower level hollows usually didn't, more powerful ones like this one often did. And if he could make the hollow talk to him, perhaps he could distract it…or trick it into releasing him. He knew the others would be coming and he thought that maybe the creature was waiting to kill them too.

It was what he sensed…and Hajime knew to trust his instincts…

"I can't feel my legs," he went on.

The hollow stared at him for a moment longer, then moved forward and loosened the bonds slightly…but not enough to let him get free. The creature had intelligence and power. Hajime shivered and closed his eyes for a moment. It was going to take a lot of effort to get free. But he had to get free. He didn't want his family to die.

He studied the hollow carefully as it returned to the place it had been sitting and continued to stare at him.

"W-well," the boy said, his teeth chattering slightly from the cold, "It seems you are waiting for something. While we wait, can you talk to me? I know you are going to kill me and my family…but…can you tell me why? Why are you doing this? Is it just because of Sosuke Aizen? Did he order you to kill us?"

He looked around the valley again.

This place…" he said in a soft, scared voice, "My Daddy Bya told me about this place before. I can feel them…the lost souls that died here. They're all around us. Do you see them too? Do you hear them?"

The hollow continued to stare at him silently.

"M-my Daddy B-bya told me that his father was wounded in this valley…by a hollow. H-he didn't die here, so his soul wasn't trapped. D-do you know the h-hollow that killed my grandfather?"

The hollow's brown eyes glowed red at the center.

"I killed Soujun Kuchiki," it said in a cold, dead voice.

"You?" Hajime gasped "You were the one?"

The hollow only stared at him, the red in his eyes fading.

"Will you tell me why? Why did you kill my grandfather? Why are you trying to hurt us?"

The hollow's eyes stared at him and flared red again, and the creature made a sound of pain.

"What is it? What's hurting you?" Hajime asked in a shaky voice.

He tried to breathe calmly as Byakuya had taught him. He tried to clear his mind and focus as Renji had advised him, but his mind kept going back to the fact that this was the very monster, the nightmare come to life, that had killed his grandfather. Tears rose in his eyes and started to stream down his face. He tried to hold them back, but he just couldn't make himself be strong in the way his fathers were, in the way Takeo and Takeshi and Chisaki were. He hated feeling weak…but his emotions had always been strong.

And, he realized suddenly, those emotions held a power that couldn't be sealed away…

He cried harder and the mist around them began to whip with a sharp wind. Lightning flashed over them and thunder rumbled. Hajime's eyes began to glow a soft, golden color.

The hollow stared and moved closer. He studied the innate power the child was able to use and realized its potential. He touched the child's forehead to induce sleep, but as he did, he felt the child's innate power flare and the youthful mind connected with his, just for a moment before he was able to force it out. And in that moment, realization spread over the young boy's face and his skin went as white as the mist that surrounded them. His mouth opened into hard, terrified screams that echoed in the cold lonely valley until well after the hollow had sent him off to sleep. The hollow froze as he realized that the little boy had not been alone in screaming.

Because for just that moment, the fog around him had lifted…

And for just that moment, he had remembered…

XXXXXXXXXX

The elder Hajime laid stunned and barely breathing, looking up into the branches of the ancient sakura that had helped to bring him back. Tears flooded his eyes as he realized where he was and he heard the old and loved sound of his king's flash step. A moment later, he loosed a sob of relief as a warm hand wrapped around him and brought him to his feet. For the first time in hundreds of years Hajime Kuchiki stood face to face with the one he had so longed to see…

"M-my…" he whispered, his voice failing him.

And in the next moment, he realized that even though he lived again, he was still able to look into his lover's face and actually see. His legs went weak and he dropped to his knees. He stared into the king's dark, beautiful eyes and was held spellbound.

"My…Hajime," the king said slowly, staring into the beautiful noble's stunned expression.

He smiled and touched Hajime's face gently.

"Yes…you gave your life to protect me. You shall always be able to look into my face and see my eternal gratitude…my Hajime."

He leaned forward and brought his lips to his shaken lover's. Hajime tried again to speak, but the words would not come. He closed his eyes and bit back a sob at the feel of his lover's mouth seeking his. The king's arms wrapped around him and held him in a wonderfully tight embrace.

"He tried to take you?" the king said in a low voice as he buried the noble's soft lips in kisses.

"He would have, if not for your protection, my lord," Hajime answered, finally finding his voice, "Thank you, my lord, for bringing me home. I knew you would not let him…"

"Yes…you trusted me completely. And your faith in my protection spared you. You are safe from him now. And now he will suffer for having laid hands on you. He feels it already…that insatiable hunger. For the rest of his life, he will ache to touch you again. It will burn at his mind and tear at his heart. It will make him suffer greatly for attempting to take you away from me."

"My heart is ever yours, my lord."

"I know, my love. And now, because you have shown me such loyalty, I will speak my name to you. No one else knows it…for to know it is to know all of me. If you know my name, you will become an extension of me, my Hajime. Do wish me to tell you my name?"

"My lord…I want nothing more," said Hajime in a soft, choked voice, "but I haven't yet finished the task you set before me…and until I do…there is danger that Sosuke Aizen would force me to speak it. And to loose the name of the creator outside the spirit dimension would cause catastrophic damage to the three worlds. It is not yet safe. Save this last declaration of your love until I return…until we have been saved from this terrible thing…"

The king smiled.

"As always, you are deeply wise, my Hajime…and as always, you put your duty first, before all else. Go then, precious one. Return to me when you have finished this task."

"Aishiteru yo, my lord," breathed Hajime.

The king kissed Hajime deeply, then again and again, holding his lover against him and kissing the soft, yielding lips until both were breathless.

"Aishiteru yo, my Hajime," the king said in farewell, "Return to me soon."

The noble held the king's eyes for a moment longer, then flash stepped away.


	13. The Pathway

Byakuya turned to see Renji flash stepping into the gardens, where Takeshi, Chisaki and Shoji were gathered. The noble's eyes were touched with worry, but gained a measure of confidence at the arrival of his life partner.

"What happened?" Renji asked quickly.

"Aizen used the power of his zanpakutou to abduct the elder Hajime and our son!" Byakuya said in a low, angry tone, "He walked right through all of our protection as if it was nothing!

"Damn!" muttered Renji, "We have to find them. Do you have a direction?"

Byakuya lowered his head and focused deeply.

"The signs are confusing," he said softly, "I don't think I can follow Aizen's reiatsu. I think I have to focus on the ones he took."

He focused more deeply, narrowing his eyes and kneeling to touch the ground where the abductors had passed. After several long minutes, he shook his head in frustration. He looked up at Renji, his eyes beginning to grow desperate.

"Aizen used his zanpakutou to confuse the signs. I can't make sense of any of this…"

Renji lowered his eyes, staring down at the trail, thinking.

"Bya!" he said suddenly, "What if you focus on the places you sense reiatsu changes around here…so it's not what you sense, but that it has changed."

Byakuya's lips tightened and he nodded, then turned back to study the signs again. Several minutes later, he straightened.

"I have a trail. I have two actually…and they both lead into Las Noches."

They looked back at the others.

"Then that's where we're going," Renji said, his eyes intense.

"We'll need to take the garganta from Urahara's shop," said Byakuya, drawing Senbonzakura and opening a senkaimon.

XXXXXXXXXX

Takeo pushed his eyes open and groaned softly, feeling the disruption in the air around him. He didn't have to think terribly hard to realize what it meant. And as much as he still hurt and felt weakness, there was no time for that weakness as the swell of his fathers' reiatsu reached him and he knew that Hajime had been taken. He pushed himself to his feet and dressed with shaking hands, then placed Kageookami at his hip and slipped out into the hallway. He whispered to his zanpakutou and his body blended in with the shadows. He made his way quietly out of the fourth division and turned in the direction of Kuchiki Manor.

The grounds were deserted except for the guards, but Takeo sensed that a senkaimon had been opened.

"Takeo," said the lead security guard, "I didn't know you had been released from the healing center, sir. Let me inform the house staff and they will prepare your room."

"No, Tsutomu," Takeo replied, wiping the sweat from his brow, "You and I both know what's going on…and I'm not going to lie here feeling weak and pathetic while my brother's life is at risk."

"But sir," the guard captain replied, concern in his features, "It's obvious you are in no condition to fight."

He paused, noting the determination in the young man's eyes.

"Very well," he said finally, "but if you are going, we are going together…and we'll bring a few extras, just in case. Lord Kuchiki and Master Abarai may need help. I can track them for you…and I know where to start. I heard they were heading for Hueco Mundo. They were going to go through Kisuke Urahara's garganta."

"Kisuke will probably just try to stop me if I go there," Takeo mused, "But I think we could bluff our way in through the shinigami base. We can pick up the trail from there. Assemble your team. We leave now!"

"Yes, sir!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Young Hajime woke to find something warm had pressed close to him. He remembered being cold and curling up near some rock and even burrowing into the sand to make warmth, but he had still been chilled. His teeth had been chattering so that he couldn't even drift off to sleep. But now, he was wedged between a fur covered body and the rocks. He would have been chilled at the close proximity of the hollow…but things were different now.

He knew that the hollow still planned to kill him. But he knew what he had seen through his powers when he touched the beast. He remembered that Daddy Bya had told him once never to look into the eyes of a hollow if you were planning to exorcise it…because it was through the eyes of the hollow that the one or ones it had been made from were seen. Still, he believed that having been able to see this time was a good thing. He just had to figure out what to do about it.

He moved cautiously, studying the huge mass of fur and bone that made up the creature next to him. As he did, he noticed several injuries. Hajime felt an idea forming. He moved so that he could reach one of the large slashes and extended his hands over it. Though his reiatsu was sealed away, he could still use his innate power of healing, which did not rely on reiatsu, but came to him directly through his connection to the spirit king. Golden light flared softly around his hands and slowly the injury disappeared. The hollow flinched and shifted to glare down at the young shingami. It pushed him away, held him down and checked the seal on his powers.

"How do you do this?" it asked in an odd, echoing voice, "What is the source of this power?"

Hajime raised his eyes and allowed them to turn golden.

"This is my birthright power," the boy told the beast, "and it can't be controlled by sealing my reiatsu away. But don't worry. I won't use it to hurt you."

The hollow stared at him in surprise.

"You know I have brought you here to kill you."

"Yes," the boy answered, swallowing hard, "but you are waiting for something…or someone."

The hollow gazed back at him thoughtfully.

"I await my fate," it said simply.

The beast rose and began to renew the fire that had burnt out as they slept. Hajime watched quietly, thinking about what he had sensed before.

"You saw something…before," he said softly.

The hollow froze for a moment, then continued its work. It turned back several minutes later and deposited a cup of hot green tea in the boy's hands.

"Drink. It will warm you."

He sipped at the hot liquid, relieved at the return of some warmth to his body. He kept his eyes on the hollow, trying to think of something to do or say that would help the situation. But he sensed impatience in the other and knew he had to head it off before attempting to get the beast to talk to him. Instead, he moved closer to it, using the sizable body to fend off the haze and chill around them. The hollow felt the boy press up against him and glared at him questioningly.

"What are you doing?" it asked.

"I'm staying close to you," Hajime explained, "It only makes sense, after all. You want to kill me eventually, but everything else here wants to kill me now. You won't let anything hurt me."

Hajime had never seen a hollow look both confused and amused at the same time before…

XXXXXXXXXX

The Elder Hajime flattened himself against the back of the white spirit steed he rode and reached out with his senses. As they neared the dimension wall crossover point, he drew Zetsumei Kakyoku and pointed the zanpakutou at the wall. Blue fire flashed in his eyes and blazed through the weapon, firing across the distance.

"Now open!" he cried.

As the dimension wall opened, he touched the equine's sides with his heels and the spirit steed launched itself through the opening. As they passed out of the spirit dimension, Hajime felt the warmth of the last kiss his king had given him on his lips and heard the king's final admonition in his mind.

_We have waited a long time for this fate to reach us, My Hajime. Through the hands of time and beyond death, we have reached for this moment with anticipation and fear and hope. You will be sorely tested…and there are no guarantees. But know that it is your fate to protect what we made together, and that by your life or death now, all of our fates will be decided. Ride hard…reach them quickly. They need your strength if they are to be saved. Go now, my love. And know my heart goes with you…always…_

Sand exploded around the spirit steed's feet as he landed in the dark sands of Hueco Mundo and the bright doorway closed. Hajime laid himself against the equine's back and breathed a request for more speed. He sensed the others passing over into Hueco Mundo and turned the beast in their direction. The stallion squealed and began to glow from within with soft, white light.

"That is right, Moonfire," he whispered against the equine's neck, "It is time for us to give everything."

He felt a tremor of affirmation pass through the spirit steed and the ground became a blur beneath them as they shot forward. Hajime rested calmly against the spirit steed's back and gathered his power as they rode. His mind became deeply focused and his senses sharpened. They closed in on the group of shinigamis ahead of them and Moonfire slowed as he came near them. The group ahead of him set themselves in position to defend, raising their weapons as he came closer. Hajime touched Moonfire's shoulder lightly and the stallion reared, neighing loudly and glowing more brightly. Hajime turned his head to face the group of shinigami's and smiled a greeting as surprise registered on their faces. Byakuya flash stepped to him with Renji at his side.

"Hajime," Byakuya said, relief in his voice, "We sensed that you and our son were taken, and in two different directions. We were about to split the group and send some after you and some after young Hajime."

"I was taken by Sosuke Aizen and briefly imprisoned in Las Noches," the king's lover acknowledged, "but it seems that he overstepped his boundaries with me and met with the king's disapproval."

"What? Did the king kill him for touching you?" laughed Renji, "That wouldn't be a bad thing at all!"

"It wouldn't," Hajime agreed, "but my liege allows us to determine our fate. He summoned me to him when I called out for him and I was removed from the fortress, but Aizen will not give up easily. His fate is tied to ours right now, I'm afraid."

"Hajime," said Byakuya, "Do you know where our son has been taken?"

Hajime nodded.

"Young Hajime was taken by the strange hollow we fought before…and the hollow was ordered by Sosuke Aizen to take him to the Valley of Lost Souls."

Byakuya caught his breath sharply and Renji's face paled.

"Bya…" the redhead breathed, "Isn't that where…?"

"It is where my father was when he was fatally injured. He was evacuated to the Seireitei, and so was not bound to the valley when he died. But this complicates things…"

"We shall manage it," Hajime said, reaching down to lay a hand on Byakuya's shoulder, "Remember that the hands of fate are upon us all…and we of the Kuchiki household do our best when held in those hands. Come…I know the way."

Hajime held Moonfire at a walk and led the others on through the dark sands.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sosuke Aizen stood quietly atop a red tower and gazed down across the desert. He felt a stirring beneath his skin and in his mind, a memory flashed.

_The scent of sakura…brilliant, fiery blue eyes glaring at him as his hands bared the bound man's lovely body. Power held back by a strong seal, but allowing him to take ban kai form. And in that form, Hajime was devastatingly beautiful, his raven black hair reflecting blue light, his face calm and alluring…his voice smooth and seductive as he called his enemy into the death dance._

"You think that you have escaped me, Hajime," Aizen breathed, "but your king can only protect you for as long as he lives. And I will not rest until I end his life…and take his place in the grand palace in the spirit dimension. And when that day comes, it will be me who you look to with passion in your eyes. I will be all that you know. Your lover made a mistake in making me long for you, Hajime. It has only deepened my resolve to kill him. And this…the ending of your line…will be the beginning of the end of this king's reign."

"Ooh…" said Gin from behind him, "Aren't you all scary and dark today! I might get chills, Sosuke. You really have a thing for those Kuchikis."

"This one…I will save. The rest die. Byakuya, Renji and all of their spawn…and anyone else who tries to stop me."

"What of the twin girls?" Gin asked, "and the one in the healing center? Our assassin returned and said that Takeo Abarai's room was empty…that he had slipped away."

"Of course he did," murmured Aizen, still gazing out the window, "Little Hajime is in danger. Though I covered our exact path, I made sure they would know the little demigod was taken. And I am sure that it won't take the lovely Byakuya long to find their direction…or if not him then the elder Hajime. They will find their way to the Valley of Lost Souls. They will enter…and they will never come out."

"And the twin girls?"

"I have seen to that."

"Oh, Sosuke, it just gives me shivers when you say things like that!"

"Come Gin, it is time for us to leave for the valley."

"Now?"

"Yes, now. I have sensed the return of Hajime the elder. He returns to them to lead them all to their doom."

"Are you sure there isn't even a little time?" Gin asked slyly, "All of this scheming has me very aroused."

A dark eye turned to observe him for a moment.

"Well," said Aizen thoughtfully, "I wouldn't want you to be unable to focus on the battle. I imagine there is a little time…"

Gin's smile widened.

"I was soooo hoping you would say that, Sosuke!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Did you and Yoruichi get the kids settled in the training room?" Kisuke asked as Ichigo flash stepped to his side.

"The kids are all safe," he said quietly, "theirs and ours. So what happens now, Kisuke?"

The shopkeeper looked back at the substitute shinigami appraisingly.

"We wait," Kisuke said solemnly, "I sense hollows massing for a big attack…and we have to watch out, because I also sense an assassin with them."

"An assassin?" Ichigo asked, his hand moving to Zangetsu.

"Yeah," Kisuke confirmed, "There was a report that an assassin had been sensed in the Seireitei at the healing center…the healing center where Takeo Abarai was. Takeo was gone and they don't sense his reiatsu anywhere."

"So either he escaped the assassin and is masking his reiatsu…"

"Or he is dead and the assassin disposed of the body. Someone really wants Byakuya and Renji's little family to burn…and I'm thinking that's got to be Aizen. Now that he knows little Hajime is the crown prince, he is going to pull out all of the stops and make his play at becoming king."

"Kisuke…do you think I should go and help them?" Ichigo asked, "It seems like they're coming up on a life or death battle."

The shopkeeper shook his head.

"I need you to stay here. We have to protect Akiko and Akane. Remember, if Byakuya and Renji are not successful in saving Hajime, then those two are the last of the king's descendants…"

"All right, then," Ichigo said calmly, "We'll make sure those bastard hollows don't reach them."

"Yoruichi and I will handle the bastard hollows," Kisuke told the youth, "You're going to locate and destroy that assassin!"

"Got it…"

They exchanged a long glance as the growls and screeches of hollows reached their ears. Ichigo smiled and captured the shopkeeper's lips in a short, but delightfully hot kiss.

"Sorry I can't do more, but I've got to run," he smiled.

"That's okay," Kisuke assured him, "We'll have plenty of time for more when this is over."

Ichigo laughed softly and flash stepped away as Kisuke took up a defensive position near Tessai.

"All right," he said solemnly, "Brace yourself. This is going to be a rough one."

He would have said more, but the next moment, the roof was torn off of the shop and the scream of a gargantuan hollow roared through them. Both shinigamis were thrown from their position as the sky over them filled with hollows.

"Shit," muttered Kisuke, "That little bastard just broke my shop!"

He and Tessai rose into the air and set themselves back to back.

"Ah…feel free to pick your targets," Kisuke muttered, "There are enough of them."

"I will eliminate the largest," said Tessai, "and you can hold off the others."

"Yeah…" Kisuke deadpanned, "Hold back the others. Damn, I wish I had a bigger flyswatter! All right, Benihime, you heard the man. Let's hold them off."

Red fire burst from his zanpakutou and twin blasts of blue kido fire followed. Scores of hollows disappeared into the fire, but more rose up and pressed closer.

"Well…that was effective. Erm, Tessai, how are you doing with that…"

He broke off as several dark forms appeared down on the ground. A hail of blue light arrows rose up from a glowing bow, destroying hundreds of hollows in a heartbeat. Another of the dark forms moved below him and heavy blasts of reiatsu shot into the sky, incinerating even more of the hollows. He heard a flash step and Rukia Kuchiki appeared at his side.

"We felt that there was trouble and came to help," she said, drawing her zanpakutou.

"Miss Kuchiki," said Kisuke, smiling, "You have very good timing!"

They turned as a huge explosion rocked the area around him and watched in silence as the largest of the hollows fell.

"I got him for you, boss," Tessai said, nodding.

"Yeah, thanks. Let's finish these guys off."

He looked down at the wreckage of the shop below them.

_I think we're all going to be doing some repairs this weekend…_


	14. In the Valley

Hajime slowed Moonfire and slid off his back as the group approached the entrance to The Valley of Lost Souls. As they came closer, a soft gray mist began to swirl around them, growing thicker the closer they came to the entrance. The group of shinigamis froze, their ears straining as soft voices seemed to whisper around them. Hajime sent Moonfire trotting away with a gentle pat on the shoulder, then turned to face the others.

"This valley is a very wicked place. Once within it, we will be more vulnerable to attack and defeat for several reasons. As you can hear, there are voices on the breezes within. They will seek to lead you astray, where predatory hollows have laid ambushes. Also, visibility is reduced, so it will be harder to judge incoming attacks. The terrain is rough, and the footing is dangerous. And finally, you remember that the hollow we faced takes in the abilities of the zanpakutous it encounters and loses its vulnerability to them. If you have attacked him with your zanpakutou before, you will need to use kido. I will only attack him with my zanpakutou once…and it will be a killing blow. I will be very cautious about when to use that attack. Remember, young Hajime is here with the hollow…and we must free him before the hollow can kill him. He has used the boy as bait and will likely kill him as soon as we appear. We must reach him immediately, as soon as we sight them. Byakuya, your flash step is fastest, so you will attempt to reach Hajime. Takeshi, Chisaki and Shoji, you will brace the hollow as I get into position to attack him. Renji…you must watch our backs carefully, because we do not wish to be caught between the hollow and Sosuke Aizen. Watch the entrance to the valley and fend them off as best you can until we can finish off the hollow and rescue your son."

The others nodded silently and took up their positions. Renji slipped into the rocks at the valley's entrance. The others followed the elder Hajime into the valley. Within minutes, all of them were breathing irregularly and glancing nervously around them with widened eyes. Even knowing the valley, Hajime seemed as uncomfortable as they were, moving forward slowly, with his hand rested on his zanpakutou.

"I feel his presence," Byakuya intoned softly, "just ahead and in the cluster of rocks to the right."

The elder Hajime nodded and moved out to the left on silent feet. The three younger shinigamis spread out and Byakuya disappeared off to the right. They closed in on young Hajime's reiatsu, holding their breath as they drew abreast of the rocks and glimpsed the hollow's huge, dark form. He was resting almost against the rocks, his hulking body shielding Hajime in a way that was both protective and possessive. It opened a large eye as they reached it and observed them for a moment. The elder Hajime stepped forward, his weapon ready.

"Peace, hollow," he said quietly, "We have come to take back what is ours. Give us the boy and we will not trouble you."

Chisaki caught her breath softly as she spotted her brother peeking out from behind the monstrous hollow's legs.

"Hajime…" she hissed, feeling the breath leave her as the hollow lifted a massive foot and brought it down exactly where she had seen him a moment before.

"Hajime!" cried Takeshi and Shoji together.

They waited breathlessly as the dust and fog cleared, then their eyes found the hollow glaring down furiously at his bleeding leg and foot, where Byakuya's blade had stopped it short of crushing the boy. With a touch, the noble freed the boy's bonds, but as he moved to lift him to safety, the hollow turned and threw him back against the rocks, at the same time, slashing at the boy. Hajime fell back, a thin line of blood rising on the arm he had raised in self-defense. His eyes found Byakuya's and he tried again to reach his father, only to have the beastly form of the hollow impede him again. The others waited, wide-eyed, looking for openings and finding none as the hollow moved again to try to crush the little boy against the rocks. This time, his foot caught the edge of young Hajime's yukata and dragged him down. The beast lifted his other leg and brought it down, forcing a scream from the boy's throat as the deadly limb bore down on him.

An explosion of kido threw the blow off course and a brutally swift flash step sounded as Hajime the elder appeared suddenly, attacked and swept the little boy out from underneath the hollow's feet. He hastily released the seal on the boy's power.

"Stay close to me," he warned the boy, "We will need to brace him together if we are to defeat him."

He stopped speaking as the great hollow gave a rasping laugh and moved to block the valley's only exit.

"So…" the grating voice said, "You may have stolen him from me…but you will not leave this valley alive. All of you are going to die here…and your spirits will be left to slowly decay after."

Byakuya flash stepped and landed in front of the hollow, his blade held ready.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, "Is it because your master, Sosuke Aizen ordered it?"

The hollow observed the noble with deadly eyes.

"Shinigami…I have no master. But I have been troubled by your family before…and I have overcome them."

"What are you talking about?" Byakuya demanded.

The beast smiled wickedly.

"You are a Kuchiki, are you not? Like that other I fought so long ago. Like Soujun."

Byakuya froze.

"What do you know of Soujun Kuchiki?" he asked, frowning.

The hollow laughed softly.

"Soujun Kuchiki was a sentimental fool, who thought that he could save his friend, who I had devoured. He tried to separate us…and he paid for it with his life!"

Byakuya's eyes widened.

"_You_ are the one who…?" he hissed softly, raising Senbonzakura, "You murdered my father?"

"Your father…his closest friend…so many others. Why does it matter?" the hollow said in a low voice, "You are insects…and insects are meant to be squashed, as I will squash you."

"Bastard!" cried Byakuya blue kido fire exploding from his hands.

The hollow moved then…so swiftly that the only reason Byakuya escaped being slashed was because he employed a special flash step he had learned from Yoruichi. He dropped down in the rocks, watching as the hollow destroyed the false image, eliciting screams from the teens who still faced him. The beast laughed wickedly. Byakuya moved quickly through the rocks and in behind him, bursting from his cover as the enraged teens attack from the front, all of them blasting it with kido spells.

The bulky form moved with blazing swiftness, charging first at the three teen shinigamis, then spinning and firing a cero at Byakuya. The noble moved in and slashed at the beast, engaging it in a lightning fast series of slashes and parries. The hollow met Byakuya's eyes with murderous intent and spoke to him as they fought.

"I will kill you, shinigami, just as I killed him…even though you are stronger. You are still not strong enough. I have grown stronger since I fought Soujun Kuchiki. He could have defeated me…but unlike you, he couldn't see past the visage of his beloved friend. He would have done anything to save him…to save the one I devoured. That was his downfall. And now, he is going to lose even more. The same creature that took his life will take the life of his son. Prepare yourself, Byakuya Kuchiki. You are about to die. But here, then…be carried off into oblivion by your own father's shikai!"

Byakuya caught his breath in shock as everything around him disappeared and he found himself in an endless sea of hot, blue and white stars.

"Starscape…" the noble whispered, remembering.

His sword arm dropped and he watched silently as the burning stars danced around him hypnotically. He knew he should move…could have destroyed the attack, but something inside refused to allow him to move as the stars of his father's shikai spun around him and one by one fell in his direction. He thought he heard voices…cries…screams. But he was caught up in memory, the kind, gentle face and touch of his father surrounding him and holding him fast as the darkened sky around him lit with a thousand shooting stars.

"Hoshibotsuraku…" he half-sobbed, "_His_ zanpakutou…"

_"Show it to me again, father…please?" Byakuya pleaded, wide-eyed, "I want to see it again!"_

_Soujun smiled down at his son._

"_Again, sochi…but you have seen it several…"_

"_I know…but…it's beautiful, father! It's the most beautiful shikai I've seen!"_

_Soujun laughed softly._

"_I imagine that once more is not too much to ask…"_

_He held his blade out, pointed to his left and slid a hand down the smooth metal edge, his eyes lighting as he gave the command to release._

"_Blaze…Starscape, Hoshibotsuraku!"_

_He watched breathlessly as the sky around him darkened and the stars seemed to light on fire. It was beautiful, Byakuya thought, to see one star fall…but to see the overwhelming loveliness of a thousand stars falling all around you…_

As the stars closed in on him, Byakuya heard the hiss of a flash step and a shadow appeared in front of him. Light exploded around him as a wolf howled, breaking through the stillness around him, loosing him from the bonds of memory that had paralyzed him. The stars shimmered as they reached him, then exploded. He felt the vibration of their destruction all through his body and dropped to his knees, looking up at the shadowy figure who now stood between the hollow and him.

"Renji?" he whispered.

The person turned.

"Takeo!" Byakuya hissed, breathlessly.

The young man flash stepped to his side as the hollow roared and began to close in on them.

"Are you all right, Dad?" Takeo asked, raising his weapon.

"Hai…" the noble answered gratefully, "Takeo…you should not be fighting."

"I'll be all right," the younger shinigami assured him, "I can't let that thing hurt my little brother…and I'm not going to let him hurt you either."

Byakuya sighed softly, backing away from the beast and shielding Takeo with his body.

"Does Renji know you're here?"

"Hai…he tried to tell me the same thing you did…"

"And I see how much luck he had with that," the noble said, smiling nostalgically, "but then, I do remember telling Renji he would have children just like him. I am proud to say that prediction has come to pass. Come, Takeo…let us finish this!"

The two released blasts of blue and red fire, then flash stepped towards the hollow, who roared furiously, rising up and slashing at them with outstretched claws. Takeshi, Chisaki and Shoji followed their attack with a hail of kido, a sea of red wolves and the ripping talons of a flock of hawks. The five surrounded the beast, attacking with blades and shocks of kido until the beast shuddered and sank to its knees, howling in pain. The hollow roared in pain and fell back. The elder Hajime lifted his zanpakutou and rose over the beast, his body flaring with blue light as he took his ban kai form. His eyes found the hollows and locked on them, freezing the beast as he descended on it.

"Stop! Don't kill it!" cried a young voice.

A small, slender sword crossed Hajime the elder's, stopping it from reaching the hollow. All eyes turned to young Hajime. He lowered his weapon and moved towards the writhing hollow. His elder namesake joined him at the fallen creature's side as the others gathered around. Byakuya knelt at his son's side, studying the golden eyes and intense expression.

"What is it, Hajime?" the noble asked, holding his weapon ready, in case the beast tried to attack again.

"Last night…wh-when he brought me here. I…I felt something. There is…someone in the hollow. This hollow consumed someone."

"But who?" asked Byakuya, "All hollows consume other beings. Why is this one different? Why do you think he should not be killed, son?"

The boy looked up at the elder Hajime.

"His name was Akemi Abarai," the boy said softly.

The elder Hajime inhaled sharply, his eyes widening with shock. A sudden flash step sounded and Renji appeared before them.

"Aizen and Gin just arrived," he told them grimly, "I overheard Aizen say they were waiting for the outcome here and figured you guys could use an extra hand with that thing."

He stopped and stared at the elder Hajime, who had stepped forward and was standing near the fallen hollow's head. He dropped to his knees next to the hollow and young Hajime dropped down next to him.

"Akemi?" the elder Hajime whispered, staring into the hollow's wicked eyes.

Young Hajime's eyes flared golden and he reached out to touch the hollow's face. The beast reeled as though struck at the boy's touch and howled as though in pain.

"What is he doing?" asked Chisaki in a trembling voice.

Takeshi and Shoji shook their heads and moved closer.

"Sometime in the past," the boy said softly, "a hollow attacked the town of Inuzuri. It came to a cottage near the edge of town and attacked the family that lived there."

He turned his head and looked up at Renji.

"The family's name was Abarai."

Renji caught his breath in surprise.

"The house caught fire…and everyone except the father, Akemi, and his baby son, died. Akemi took his son and ran towards the town…but the hollow followed him, and soon Akemi realized that he was not going to be able to escape it. He concealed the baby in an abandoned building and led the hollow away…still trying to reach the town. But the creature caught up with him and devoured him."

He stopped for a moment as a soft sob broke from the elder Hajime, who was still staring dazedly at the hollow. Tears ran in streams down his face, and next to him, Mei-ka appeared and slipped an arm around his shoulders. The others stared, rapt as the king's lover reached down to touch the staring hollow, his face white with disbelief and his hands shaking.

"Akemi Abarai…is the king's son with Hajime," young Hajime said softly, "And Daddy Ren is the baby that he was protecting."

"Akemi…" whispered the elder Hajime, reaching for the creature's clawed hand.

The hollow's eyes blinked and seemed to flash with recognition at the touch of his father's hand, and he froze, listening.

"Akemi…my son. I can help you," Hajime told the hollow, "My zanpakutou has a special ability that can free you…"

He placed a hand on the creature's face and stared into his eyes.

"Akemi…" Hajime whispered, wide-eyed.

The hollow's eyes flickered and turned red.

"Watch out!" cried Renji, shoving Byakuya back into the others.

They fell to the ground, rolling away and coming to their feet a safe distance away, then realizing that the elder Hajime hadn't moved. The beast's claw sank into the noble's body, lifting him off the ground as the beast rose up, snarling and slammed the stricken shinigami into the ground with killing force. He stared down into Hajime's eyes as he drew back, preparing to strike again. His claw slashed downward, but was stopped by a smaller sword, wielded by Hajime's young namesake.

"Stop…" he said, his eyes shining bright gold and his body glowing, "I will not let you harm my protector."

Hajime pointed his zanpakutou at the creature.

"My zanpakutou does not look powerful, but you are making a mistake if you attack me."

Byakuya and Renji edged forward as Hajime continued to speak to the hollow.

"You remember," the boy said, "how when I touched you before, you and I both saw the person inside?"

"He is dead," said the hollow, "I devoured him!"

"You devoured him," young Hajime agreed, "but as the king's son and heir, he did not die. His power burned inside of you…and although he could not break free of you, he remained alive within you…waiting for the one force that could free him."

The boy lowered his weapon and dropped down beside the unconscious elder Hajime. As the other's moved in between the two and the guarding hollow, the boy rested a hand on the elder Hajime's bleeding chest and healing light flared around them. The king's lover stirred softly and opened his eyes.

The hollow loosed a wail and burst in their direction, crashing into the others heedlessly and dragging them to the ground as he sought to reach both boy and elder. The claws slashed down at them, only to encounter a blaze of power that made them crack, then shatter. Light exploded around them, and as it cleared, all eyes watched as young Hajime's sword broke in two and the boy dropped to the ground.

"Hajime!" screamed Takeshi, Chisaki and Takeo.

The three joined Shoji in a renewed flurry of kido attacks. Crawling ropes wrapped around the beast, holding it in place as the elder Hajime struggled to his feet and took ban kai form again. The hollow struggled madly, screaming and foaming at the mouth, fighting the bonds that held it as Byakuya and Renji moved in and strengthened the kido holding him.

"I can only use this ability once," Hajime warned them, "and it will drain all of us of a percentage of our power. But it will also free Akemi. He and I will lose consciousness, and will need to be returned to the spirit dimension for full restoration. After I free him, it will be up to all of you to brace Aizen and Gin and get us out of the valley. You must not fail or we will all die here."

"We won't fail," Renji said, stepping forward.

Hajime smiled at him gratefully.

"Arigato, Renji," he said softly.

He regarded the redhead quietly for a moment.

"We will have much to say when we return to the spirit dimension…but know now that it pleases me to know I am looking on the face of my grandson. I should have known sooner. You are so like my lord, in so many ways…"

Renji shook his head, smiling.

"This is mind bending," he mused, You look younger than me, but are hundreds of years older. I thought I was younger than Byakuya, but I'm actually…not…"

"And Akemi, once freed, will likely look much as he did when he was devoured," said Hajime.

He turned to face the hollow, blue light rising in his eyes.

"And now, my son," he said to the beast, "I swear to you that I will bring you home alive to our lord. He has waited for years in darkness for the return of his loved ones…and now he shall have peace. I swore on my life to give him this…and paid for it with my own blood. Akemi…I _will_ save you."

He stepped forward, bringing the tip of his weapon to the hollow's chest, just over his heart. Blue light flared around them, making Hajime's body and zanpakutou glow.

"Kihaku Hanasu…Zetsumei Kakyoku…" Hajime breathed.

The valley erupted in blinding blue light and all of the shinigamis crashed violently to the ground. The blue light burned hotly and turned a glowing white, lighting Hajime's body and giving him the look of an angel as he drove his weapon into the hollow's body. The beast's shrieks echoed off the walls of the powerlit valley, and the shinigamis held down on the ground covered their ears at the piercing sound of it. Byakuya and Renji crawled forward, wrapping their arms around their children and Byakuya quietly raised a shield around them.

All waited breathlessly as the elder Hajime's power flowed into the hollow, burning away the hair and bone and slowly revealing the body of a shinigami. Renji gasped as the face and body began to resolve and he looked for the very first time on the face of his father.

"Sweet kami…" he whispered, "It's really…him…"

Byakuya's hand found his as they continued to shield their family.

Outside the shielding, there was a last, long shattering wail that cracked the rocks and the shield. The power around Hajime and his son flared one last time and faded. Hajime gazed down into the eyes of his son and smiled, then his eyes glazed over and he began to fall. Flash steps sounded all around the two and Byakuya caught the falling form of the elder Hajime, while Renji gathered Akemi into his arms. The newly freed shinigami gazed up at his son and gave him a grateful smile, then his eyes closed and he went limp in Renji's arms.

"We must get them to the spirit dimension," Byakuya said softly.

Renji nodded.

"But we have a problem," the redhead said, watching as Chisaki picked up the unconscious young Hajime and joined them, then Takeo, Takeshi and Shoji took protective positions around them.

"We still have to deal with Aizen and Gin."

"Tsutomu and a group of the guards came in with me," said Takeo, "but they remained behind to wait for us to come out of the valley. We will have help."

"You kids are sapped from the drain of the elder Hajime's attack," argued Renji, "We'll put you behind a shield and you will let Byakuya and I do the fighting."

"No," said Takeo, "You were drained too."

"He's right," said Takeshi, "You will need us."

"All of us," added Chisaki.

Byakuya met Renji's eyes for a moment, then lifted warily as Aizen and Gin appeared on the pathway in front of them. Aizen gazed at the unconscious shinigami in Byakuya's arms and smiled.

"You defeated the hollow and retrieved the lost child of the king and his lover," commented the leader of the hollows, "I must commend you on that…but now look at you. Hajime the elder is no longer able to lend his formidable power…and your little demigod son is unconscious as well. You are all battered and drained from fighting. Surrender…and I will let you live. I will take Hajime the elder and let the rest of you return to Kuchiki Manor. I very much doubt that you will get a better outcome by fighting. I will kill you all if you try."

He smiled at Byakuya.

"So…" he said softly, "Will you surrender?"

Byakuya turned and set Hajime down, then waited as Renji laid Akemi next to him and Chisaki set young Hajime next to them. Byakuya raised a shield over them and turned back to Aizen.

"I ask again," said Aizen, "Will you surrender?"

"I will surrender," Byakuya said, his sword glowing, "when the stars have all fallen from the sky and our worlds have ended. If you want him, you will have to kill all of us…and I think it will not be so easy as you think."

Aizen laughed softly and flash stepped forward, concealing himself in illusion as he struck at Renji. To his surprise, the blow did not land. He found his blade locked against Byakuya's, and the noble's determined eyes glaring into his.

"Your illusions cannot fool my eyes…and you can no longer bind me. You have lost your power over me, Aizen. And now, I will make you pay for all you have done!"


	15. Retribution

"Ban kai," Byakuya said calmly, "Senkei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The others watched with stunned eyes as the swords began to fall into place around Byakuya and Aizen, locking the others out of the dueling chamber.

"Byakuya!" Renji cried, "What are you…?"

He broke off as Takeo blocked Gin's blade as it tried to reach the distracted redhead. Renji gave the youth a grateful nod and, even though he hated the fact Byakuya was facing Aizen alone within the fighting chamber, he forced his mind into the battle with Gin. He launched himself forward, immediately unleashing the skeletal dragon king. As with Byakuya, he knew that there was no time to waste. The battle had to be won, and won quickly if they were to have any chance. They had taken too much damage to manage a sustained fight. So, he threw everything he had at Gin immediately.

Behind him, Takeshi strengthened the shield around the injured and flash stepped forward alongside Chisaki, Takeo and Shoji and taking aim on Gin, who spotted the incoming wolves and hawks and released heavy rounds of kido, while flash stepping away. He evaded the skeletal dragon king's blast, then used several kido bursts to blind the younger shinigamis while launching himself at Renji, who swiftly recalled his blade and met Gin in a heavy exchange of sword strikes.

"You are all going to die," Gin said, grinning, "Sousuke will kill Byakuya and you will die with him. And then, the ones left will be easy prey for the hollows."

"Huh!" huffed Renji, "Better not count your eggs before their hatched, Gin! Byakuya may not have been able to beat that damned traitor before, but he can certainly take him down now! Aizen made a huge error in letting Byakuya get his senkei up. Once inside the chamber, your boss is history!"

"That sure of it, are you?" Gin said, frowning, "I don't like your arrogance, Renji. I never have appreciated it. You'd best stop boasting and mind yourself, or I will have you on the ground and dying in a moment. Then it won't matter what Byakuya does or doesn't do!"

"Go ahead and give me your worst then, you bastard!" Renji said, gripping Zabimaru a shade more tightly, "Whatever you do, it won't be good enough!"

As the two launched into another blindingly swift exchange of attacks, a reiatsu pulse flowed from the silver-haired shinigami and hollows began to rise up around them. Gin laughed and slashed at the redhead, grazing a muscular shoulder, then was forced back under a mixed barrage of sword slashes and red fire blasts.

"Hmmm…" Gin muttered appreciatively, "You _have_ gotten stronger! I must congratulate you. I never wagered a bumbling weakling like you were would have amounted to anything, but I guess all of those nights you spent between Byakuya's legs must have made him take pity on you and teach you a few new tricks."

"Shut up, you slimy freak!" Renji hissed, red light glowing around him, "Or better yet, just DIE!"

He shot forward, slashing at the enemy shinigami, then launched another blistering kido volley. Gin slid backwards, sending his blade lancing forward and catching the redhead's hip. Renji flash stepped wildly, moving into another furious attack as Takeshi and Chisaki loosed their animal hordes on the low level hollows Gin had summoned. Takeo and Shoji angled toward the two fighting shimigamis, watching carefully for an opening. Now and then, their eyes strayed to the glowing pink fighting chamber which still enclosed Byakuya and Aizen.

"I hope he's all right," Shoji sighed softly.

"He is," Takeo replied, his eyes glinting, "He knows what this fight means. He isn't going to lose to that sick bastard!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen stood quietly, observing Byakuya with calm, inquisitive eyes as the noble stood facing him with Senbonzakura held ready.

"This feels very odd," he said softly, "We have faced each other more than a few times, Byakuya, and in all of those times, I never felt this level of focus and power coming from you. I am honored that you face me at full power, and that you will bring all of yourself to the battle. Before we begin, I want to tell you something."

His blade disappeared and he walked slowly to the waiting noble. Byakuya stared into his eyes with perfect calm as the traitor's palm cupped his cheek.

"I made a mistake trying to make you my lover. Because as much as I desired you for your beauty, I loved you more for your power. And so, seeing you as you are now, your reiatsu shaking the foundation, your body glowing and your weapon blazing with power and resolve…that is completely enchanting."

He paused, looking into the noble's calm, dark eyes.

"I do wonder, though, why you have not attacked," the leader of the hollows went on, "Could it be that, despite everything, some part of you still remembers our time together? That despite having been my captive, you embraced our closeness? That somehow, some portion of your heart still rests with me?"

ack from ByakuyHe brought his lips close to the noble's.

"Let us share one last kiss, then, Byakuya," he whispered, closing the distance between them, "Because, I sense that when this battle ends, one of us…or both of us will be dead. And if it should somehow be me, despite everything, I would find it delicious to die with the taste of you on my lips."

As their lips met, power erupted from Byakuya's hands, forcing the other shinigami away. Aizen slowed to a stop and smiled at the noble.

"I _have _missed being with you, Byakuya. Despite my anger and sometime hatred, I think I have always had affection for you. I think that it just became submerged beneath those other emotions. Yes, I have long wanted you. But I can see that wanting you is a reckless desire. So instead, I will bring you down in a pool of your own sweet lifeblood, and as you die, I will be the last living soul to hold you in his arms and meet those lovely eyes. And once you are dead, I will open you up and remove the heart you refused to give to me. I will keep it forever imprisoned in Las Noches…just to remind me of you."

"Well," said Byakuya calmly, "It seems that you have everything meticulously planned out, Aizen. However, we still need to see to the formality of fighting before we get to the afterglow of battle, ne?"

Aizen frowned.

"_Aizen_?" he repeated disapprovingly, "Why the formality? Why the distancing, Byakuya? Were we not lovers for a time? Didn't you agree to my terms while you were my captive?"

"We were never lovers," Byakuya said in a low, dangerous tone, "I was too weak to defeat you then. It is as simple as that, Aizen. And you will find that much has changed. But all of this chatter has become tedious. I wonder. Do you truly intend to fight, or are you attempting to _bore_ me to death?"

Aizen's eyes narrowed and his hand moved to his weapon.

"I see," he said quietly, "My Bya wants to fight. Well, it seems there is no swaying you, so…"

Aizen used an illusion to cover his movements, then flash stepped forward and found his sword met and locked against two blades Byakuya called down from his senkei. The noble glared at him through the stopped blades.

"Didn't I already tell you?" he said quietly, "Your illusions cannot fool me anymore."

He slashed at the leader of the hollows and Aizen flash stepped away. He used illusion to make multiple copies of himself and attacked again. He found himself, once again, held back by Byakuya's blades. The noble gave him a derisive look.

"Don't you understand?" he asked solemnly, "I _see through_ your illusions now. You cannot use them to deceive me!"

A whispered command made golden kido ropes appear and lash themselves around Byakuya's wrists and torso. The noble glared down at them and then looked up at Aizen.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" he asked, beginning to sound impatient, "I am not the weak person you overwhelmed and dominated, Aizen. But if talk is not going to convince you…"

Aizen stared as the kido ropes shattered and Byakuya launched himself forward at a dizzying speed. The leader of the hollows flash stepped away, but gasped in surprise as Byakuya moved with him. He raised a quick defense shield and deflected the sword that struck at him, but the shield buckled under the kido attack that followed and he was thrown off his feet. He crashed to the ground and barely managed to roll away from the blaze of kido that followed him. Aizen regained his feet and returned heavy volleys of kido fire, then flew into a dizzying flurry of sword slashes, which Byakuya met with the same. The two flash stepped away from each other and slid to a stop. Blood flowed freely on each man's skin.

Aizen's eyes found the noble's again, and the leader of the hollows smiled.

"You _have _grown stronger…more powerful, Byakuya," he mused, "I had thought that nothing was as beautiful as the spirit king's lover in his ban kai incarnation, but truly, you rival even Hajime's beauty. Then again, you are both of Kuchiki stock. That name seems to be synonymous with beauty."

He flash stepped away as Byakuya slashed at him, then locked their swords together.

"Beauty and _strength_," the noble corrected him, "And that strength will overcome you, Aizen!"

"Goodness," said Aizen, blocking the nest barrage of attacks, "I was already nearly done in by your beauty. I shall have to act swiftly if I am to undo your strength."

"You cannot overcome my strength anymore, Aizen," Byakuya said solemnly, "I have changed greatly since we last fought."

"Have you?" Aizen purred softly, "I wonder if that is really true."

He raised his reiatsu until the chamber around them shook wildly.

"Let's test that theory, shall we, my Bya? And let's see who is right and who is dead."

Byakuya stared in surprise as the power around them pulsed and his senkei suddenly exploded.

XXXXXXXXXX

The fighters on the battlefield froze and stared as the reiatsu rose around them until it left them feeling suffocated. Some of the lower level hollows screamed and exploded into dust. The heavy groan of strained metal assaulted their ears, then as they watched in dismay, Byakuya's senkei shivered and blew apart, sending a shock wave that made everything around them disappear into a haze of flying sand. They turned their faces into their cloaks and closed their eyes as the sand spun around them, stinging whatever flesh it could find uncovered. And even before it settled, they heard the clashing swords of the two men who had been locked inside the fighting chamber.

Gin flash stepped back in Aizen's direction, then blocked the jagged shikai release of Zabimaru as it followed him.

"Where do you think you are going?" Renji yelled, flash stepping after him, "We aren't done yet, you snake!"

Gin laughed and slashed at Renji. Locking their blades together.

"Aizen's gonna kill your sweet Kuchiki lover this time," he said provokingly, "You can see he's not holding back anymore. No one has ever destroyed Byakuya's senkei except Byakuya, himself, Renji. Get ready to watch him die."

The two exchanged a flurry of cuts and slashes, then Gin locked their blades together again. He grinned at Renji, staring into the seething brown eyes.

"Too bad," Gin said, barely loud enough for the redhead to hear, "He was such a sweet, tender lover, ne? I was with him a few times in the prisons. He probably would have resisted if he knew it was me, but he didn't know much of anything once the drugs took effect. Best fuck I ever had. I was sad to see him go."

"Don't you DARE speak about him that way to me!" Renji roared, the reiatsu blazing around him, "I may not have been able to make you pay before, but now you will pay…for everything you and that perverted bastard Aizen ever did to him!"

He flash stepped away, striking at Gin with a blistering hail of kido fire. Gin flash stepped clear, then caught his breath and put out the fire that had begun to eat away at his clothes. He frowned at Renji as the skeletal dragon king bore down on him.

"You _really_ think you can overcome me, Renji?" the silver-haired shinigami sighed impatiently, "You are as foolish as you will soon be dead."

Renji caught his breath as Gin gestured in the direction of the fighting teens and a circle of menos grande rose up around them. Takeo and Shoji rose into the air and attacked with heavy kido blasts as Takeshi and Chisaki's animal hordes finished off the last of the lesser hollows. Gin gestured again and more menos appeared to join the others.

"Kami!" Chisaki gasped, "Takeshi!"

"We can take them!" the Kuchiki heir yelled back, shifting into his red wolf form.

He shot forward at blinding speed and sank his fangs into the nearest menos as Takeo's shadow wolf appeared suddenly, attacked and killed another menos, then disappeared and attacked another. Chisaki shifted to hawk form and circled over the menos, methodically targeting them one by one with blasts of kido from her opened beak and slashes of her razor sharp claws. She was nearly taken out of the sky by Gin's blade as it flashed past, barely deflected by Shoji, who glared back at the enemy shinigami and sent a kido blast in his direction.

"That ought to keep the little ones busy," said Gin, smiling widely, "I can kill them one by one after I finish you off!"

He was engulfed, still smiling, as the redhead's skeletal dragon king swallowed him whole from behind. The beast rose up and coiled, screeching. Renji caught his breath as the dragon shook ominously and Gin's voice sounded from inside.

"Really Abarai, did you think I could be undone so easily? I _am _offended."

Renji's eyes widened as the dragon exploded, shaking the sand beneath his feet until it seemed liquid and his feet sank into it. He rose into the air and fired volley after volley at the enemy shinigami as jagged pieces of Zabimaru rained down around them.

"What are you going to do now?" asked Gin triumphantly, "Your zanpakutou is shattered! You are done!"

He turned and flash stepped back in Renji's direction, sliding to a stop and staring as the redhead started to laugh. A moment later, the broken pieces of Zabimaru rose into the air and surrounded the silver-haired shinigami, collapsing inward so fast and with such fury that Gin had no time to react. He disappeared into an explosion of sand and blood, screaming in pain. Renji caught a glimpse of the injured shinigami flash stepping away, then dropped to his knees, his chest heaving and his eyes on Zabimaru as the blade returned to its sealed form.

"Damn," he whispered, "I'm sorry, Zabimaru, but we had to take him out of the fight. Rest now. I might need you again before this is over."

He returned to the teens and watched over them, letting his own reiatsu restore itself as the group worked to take down the rest of the menos. His eyes also watched as Byakuya and Aizen's barely visible forms flash stepped and slashed at each other. He longed to do more, but having used his special attack on Gin, he had to wait for Zabimaru to regain his strength. Still, he had kido and blade, and he was more than capable with those. He could still fight. He held his power carefully in check as Byakuya and Aizen slid to a stop with their blades locked together. Kido erupted between the two and they flash stepped away from each other, then flew at each other again. Both, he noticed, had taken damage, and neither seemed to have gained the upper hand. As the teens finished off the last of the menos and flash stepped to his side, Byakuya struck with an unrelenting volley of kido blasts and flash stepped clear, using the moment of respite he gained to raise his strongest attack. Renji and the children watched in awe as Byakuya was surrounded in the heavenly glow of the White Emperor Sword. He launched himself at Aizen, who raised his reiatsu to the breaking point, shaking the desert around them and spinning the sand into a storm around them. They met with a crash and Renji hastily raised a shield over himself and the teens as the power erupted outward and slammed into them, shattering the shield and taking them off their feet. They laid on the settling sand staring at the two frozen forms on the battlefield. Each stood breathlessly for a long moment, then both fell.

"Byakuya!" screamed Renji, flash stepping to the fallen noble's side. He dropped to his knees beside his exhausted and bloodied soul bonded, shifting out of the way as Byakuya raised his blade again and held it over them.

"He's down," Renji said in a relieved tone, "And we need to get out of here. I got Gin, but he could come back."

"I need to finish him," Byakuya panted, raising himself onto his hands and knees.

"No!" Renji insisted, helping the noble to his feet, "Look, he disappeared."

Byakuya blinked, staring at the place the leader of the hollows had fallen. He was, indeed, gone and splashes of blood on the ground refused to yield the direction. A quick sweep of the area failed to reveal his location. Byakuya sighed wearily and nodded.

"Very well. We do need to get Hajime and Akemi to the spirit dimension," the noble said quietly.

He sheathed Senbonzakura and leaned heavily against Renji, who led him back to the others, their eyes carefully watching for the enemy shinigamis. Byakuya lowered the shield around the unconscious shinigamis.

"Takeshi, Chisaki," he said in a low, tired voice, "we will need your winged wolf for travel to the spirit dimension. You two will be responsible for making sure that your brother, Akemi and Hajime reach the spirit dimension safely. The rest of us will find the group of guards that came here with Takeo and they will escort us back to the Seireitei. We will meet you at the palace after we have all been healed."

"Okay Dad," Takeshi said, drawing his weapon and crossing it with Chisaki's.

The other's watched as the winged wolf appeared, then Byakuya turned and bent to lift the elder Hajime to place him on the winged wolf's back. Renji caught an odd shimmer of movement out of the corner of one eye and caught his breath, looking more closely. Byakuya's head turned and his eyes went wide as he saw where Aizen's zanpakutou had concealed a huge blast of incoming kido fire and Gin's incoming blade.

"Get down!" he cried, lowering the king's lover to the ground, raising a shield over the teens and beginning a ban kai release.

As the storm of kido closed in on them, Byakuya caught a glimpse of Renji's outline set firmly in between the enemies and the ones he protected. Red reiatsu flared wildly around the redhead and his hands extended in front of him, holding a powerful shield in front of them. As fast as the petals swirled around him, Byakuya knew they would not reach Renji in time to protect him.

"RENJI!"

As his soul bonded disappeared into the hail of kido, Byakuya felt his mind connect very briefly with Renji's.

_I'm sorry, Byakuya. I know I'll be taking you with me. But our children will be safe and Hajime and Akemi will be all right. Please forgive me. I couldn't let them die…_

As the roar of kido began to sever their connection, Byakuya managed to send back one last thought.

_You are not going to die…and neither am I. Put your faith in me, Renji. I will save you._

Fire blazed around them as the kido fire pounded Renji's shielding. The redhead strained to hold the shield steady under the shattering power, his body shaking hard with the effort. Byakuya's petals had nearly reached him when Gin's blade pierced kido and shielding, and sank into his chest, then passed through him, being slowed just enough that the shocked teens behind him managed to pull the unconscious shinigamis out of harm's way just in time. Byakuya's petals struck the kido as Renji's shielding fell and the redhead dropped to his knees, still on Gin's blade. Screaming in fury, Byakuya flash stepped forward, his petal blades following Gin's blade as it retracted and Renji collapsed in a explosion of blood and reiatsu.

"Get them out of here!" Byakuya cried, "Go, Takeshi!"

"But…Dad!"

"I said, GO! I will take care of Renji! Go now! And do not let anything stop you!"

Takeshi grabbed young Hajime as Takeo and Shoji lifted the elder Hajime and Akemi onto the winged wolf's back. The twins climbed on as well and prepared to launch the great beast into the air.

"Takeo…" Chisaki sobbed, looking back where Byakuya's petals obscured their view of their fathers, "Please help them!"

Her brother nodded.

"Shoji and I will get them out of here," he said in an oddly calm voice, "It's going to be all right. I promise."

Chisaki wiped her eyes and nodded silently as the winged wolf rose into the air and soared away. Takeo and Shoji readied their weapons and flash stepped toward the storm of petals in front of them. A moment later, Byakuya emerged from the maelstrom on hands and knees, bleeding profusely and dragging an unconscious Renji along with him.

"We have to get out of here," Byakuya whispered, his chest heaving, "There is an army of Arrancars waiting on the other side of those petals. When they fall, the hollows will be all over us!"

Takeo drew his blade and summoned his shadow wolf.

"Don't worry," he told Byakuya, looking up at the petals that protected them, "My shadow wolf is strong enough to carry all of us. It will get us to the guard force that came with me."

Byakuya nodded and held the petal shield steady as Takeo and Shoji lifted Renji onto the shadow wolf's back, then climbed on and pulled Byakuya up with them. Shoji held Renji in place behind Takeo, who wrapped his arms around Byakuya and whistled to the shadow wolf. The beast shot forward and away as the petal shield behind them fell and hollows began to appear all around where they had been. Takeo poured his reiatsu into the wolf that carried them and held on tightly to Byakuya.

Byakuya leaned back against Takeo's chest and let his head rest on his son's muscular shoulder. He drifted in and out of consciousness, hearing occasional voices, shivering with the cold of the desert and reaching out repeatedly, touching Renji's mind with his.

A pale, bloodied hand reached back, found the redhead's limp fingers and held them tightly.

_Renji…_

_It's going to be all right. I promise you._

_Do not let go…_


	16. What Holds us Together

Takeo slowed the shadow wolf and stopped as it reached the mouth of the valley and they came upon bodies lying on the ground. He caught his breath in dismay as Tsutomu and a small group of house guards approached them.

"Tsutomu, what happened?"

"We were attacked by menos grande, then waves of hollows. They are massing for another attack. We were nearly overrun already. Sir, we must escape quickly, before they attack again!"

"I don't know that we'll be able to move quickly enough," the young man said, looking back at Renji, "There are too few of us left who can fight."

"But we are weighted down with injured and cannot move quickly enough to reach the shinigami base. Sir…"

They were interrupted by the sound of flash steps and the rising roar of incoming hollows. Tsutomu swallowed hard and motioned for the guards to take up protective positions around the Kuchiki family members.

Takeo released Byakuya into the hands of one of the guards and slid down, then helped Shoji lift Renji off of the shadow wolf's back. The guards placed all of the injured under a shield and set themselves around it, holding their weapons ready as the hollows swept towards them.

"Takeo," Shoji said softly, "There are so many!"

"I know," the young man said quietly, "but we are fighting to save our family. And we will surprise them with how strong we are."

We will…

Takeo inhaled sharply at the sound of his zanpakutou's voice.

_Master, we have the power now. We are strong enough._

"Strong enough?" whispered Takeo, as the enemy closed in.

_We have been close to achieving ban kai for some time…_

"But both of my fathers told me that one must train for ten years before he can use his ban kai effectively in battle!"

_As I recall, Renji Abarai did not wait so long to use his. And you are an Abarai. You are strong enough to protect the ones you love, even from all of these enemies! Call forth your power, Takeo Abarai! Give the command, Kuroyajuu no kasai and let me show you my full strength!_

Takeo glanced back at the shield that covered Renji, Byakuya and the injured guards. Renji lay unmoving, but Byakuya's dark eyes were open and fastened on him as the hollows closed in around the small group. Takeo's hand wrapped around his blade as the hollows reached the group and the guards flash stepped forward to meet them.

Takeo set himself in guard stance and held his blade out in front of him, pointed in the direction of the hollows. His reiatsu rose around him until his youthful form glowed with it. He felt the complaints from his still healing body, but also the weight of responsibility for his family, for his cousin, whose parents had already lost so many of their children, for his brothers and sister, racing towards the spirit dimension and counting on him to bring their fathers home. He glanced over his shoulder one last time and saw Byakuya crawling to Renji, taking his hand and saying something. Renji turned his head slowly in Takeo's direction, his eyes opening slightly as the youth's power peaked and Takeo felt the blade in his hand quake in anticipation.

"Ban kai, Kageookami Kuroyajuu no kasai!"

Raw, black power exploded all around him as his shadow wolf rose up, grew until he towered over the ones Takeo sought to protect, then flared all around with midnight blue flame. The hollows hesitated as the great wolf lifted its lovely black head until its blue eyes caught the moonlight. The furry mouth opened wide and a long, melodic howl sounded. With the sound, black fire roared out of the beast's mouth. The wolf raked the stunned hollows with its roiling fire blast as the small group of defenders froze in dismay at the power of the dark fire wolf.

"Oh my kami!" breathed Shoji, staring in wonder, "T-takeo!"

Tsutomu smiled and signaled for his men to stand ready. As the great wolf's fire died, the house guards charged the remaining hollows and quickly finished them off. Takeo focused on the huge wolf and held it in place as the house guards returned to them.

"Get on," he said, panting softly, "I will get all of us to the base."

"B-but Takeo, sir," Tsutomu objected, "You have just achieved ban kai…and you were injured! Are you sure you should try to keep the wolf manifested for so long?"

"We don't have a choice," Takeo said, looking at Renji, who had lost consciousness again and was lying still in Byakuya's weary arms, "They need help. They're hurt. We have to get them to the base! In ban kai form, my wolf is big enough to carry all of us. But we must go now!"

Tsutomu nodded and ordered the guards to place all of the injured on the great wolf's back. Then Takeo, Shoji and Tsutomu followed the guards, climbing up and taking their places. Takeo nudged the wolf, sending it into a run. The battleground disappeared behind them as the dark wolf stretched out and blazed across the cold black desert, trailing long strands of dark blue flame behind him.

Takeo turned and found Byakuya gazing at him in the halflight.

"How is he?" the young man asked quietly, his eyes fastened on Renji.

"He is alive," Byakuya answered solemnly, "And right now, it is a blessing just to be able to say that much. I have healed what I could. The healers at the base will have to do the rest."

"He would have died already if not for you," Takeo said, wrapping an arm around the noble, resting his head on Byakuya's shoulder and watching Renji with worried eyes.

"We all would have died if not for you, Son," Byakuya said gratefully, "Your ban kai was amazing…and it was the difference between us living and us dying out here. You should be proud. I am so proud of you. And Renji is too."

"I saw he was awake for a moment," said Takeo, swallowing hard, "He…saw?"

"He saw it."

Takeo managed a sad smile.

"Did he…could he say anything?"

"No," the noble said softly, "but being his soul bonded, I heard his thoughts as he watched. He was thinking of how he didn't even know you growing up. He was thinking of how you had to fight Raiden to the death. He thought he was proud of you then, but it was nothing compared to watching you just now. He thought…"

The noble paused for a moment and closed his eyes, then opened them again and took a steadying breath.

"Renji thought, 'If this has to be the last thing that my eyes see, I won't be sorry.' That is what he was thinking."

Takeo's eyes held Byakuya's for a long moment, then his head dropped back onto the noble's shoulder and his wet eyes remained focused on Renji.

"Thanks, Dad," Takeo whispered, Thanks for telling me."

The two fell silent as they spotted the shinigami base in the distance ahead of them. They watched as it grew larger and brighter, until the floodlights brightened everything around them, the warning sirens blared and shinigamis poured out of the base to meet them.

XXXXXXXXXX

Chisaki knelt beside Takeshi at their brother's bedside, watching as the king's healer leaned over young Hajime and examined the boy's reiatsu. The old man smiled in approval and nodded to them.

"He is going to be fine," the healer assured them, "He just needs to rest to regain his strength."

"How are the others?" asked Chisaki, still sounding worried, despite the healer's words.

"They will recover fully as well. They are responding well to treatment and both have regained consciousness."

"Has any word come from the Seireitei?" asked Takeshi, "Have the others returned from Hueco Mundo?"

"There is no word from them yet," the healer said quietly, "but his majesty assures me that we should hear something soon."

"I hope so," said Chisaki, slipping a hand into young Hajime's, "Renji was really badly hurt."

"Hey," Takeshi said bracingly, "He has Byakuya with him. And you know Takeo and Shoji are there too. They'll look out for each other, and they'll all be okay."

Chisaki gave him a small smile and nodded, but her brother could see that she still looked less convinced. Takeshi slipped an arm around his sister and continued to quietly watch over their little brother.

In the next room, the elder Hajime laid quietly in his hospital bed, watching with peaceful eyes as the healer entered the room and examined Akemi. He could feel his son's reiatsu had grown stronger since their arrival in the spirit dimension and that coupled with the delight of being home again brought him a great sense of relief. He felt the approach of the king and turned his head, his blue eyes seeking the eyes of his creator and lover.

"My Hajime," the king said in a soft, affectionate voice, "You have come home to stay. And you have brought with you the greatest of gifts."

The Kuchiki lord sat up and wrapped his arms around the king, offering him a long kiss of greeting.

"My lord," Hajime breathed against the monarch's lips, "I have missed you these long years as I waited to return to you."

"And it took many turns of fate to bring you back to me."

"Not just turns of fate, my lord," Hajime said quietly, "but also the efforts of my family."

He sighed softly.

"Can you tell me how they fared?" he went on, "I lost consciousness after freeing our son from the hollow."

The king nodded.

"Our grandson was seriously injured protecting you and the others, but he is in capable hands, and with time, I believe he will heal. Byakuya fought well in his confrontation with Sousuke Aizen. He will recover fully as well."

"That is a relief, my lord," Hajime said, burrowing into a warm shoulder, "I would not have been able to return to you without their intervention. I owe them greatly."

The king smiled.

"_We_ owe them greatly," he said softly, "Now, come with me, my love. We shall bathe in the waters of the healing fountain and wash all of this unpleasantness away."

Hajime smiled and rested his head lightly on the king's shoulder as he was lifted and carried out of the healing center, down the hallways of the palace, through the throne room and into the king's garden. The king set him on his feet and the two undressed and stepped down into the warm, healing waters. They stood once again beneath the waterfall, wrapped in each other's arms and exchanging long, slow kisses. Hajime smiled as the healing waters ran through his long black hair and over his glowing white skin, washing away the aches and pains of battle and slowly restoring his depleted reiatsu. He laced his graceful fingers together with the king's and let his eyes rest happily on the gentle, serene face that only he was allowed to see.

"My Hajime," whispered the king, between kisses, "You have done well. You must allow me to reward you for your efforts."

The Kuchiki lord smiled.

"My lord," he replied, blinking slowly, "There is no greater gift than the love you have already given me. I can ask for no more, and no deed of mine could ever match what I already have with you."

The king laughed softly.

"You are as humble as ever, my love," he said affectionately, "But I wish to honor your loyalty with something I have given no other."

Hajime's eyes widened as the monarch pressed his lips to the shell of an ear and loosed his name in a very soft whisper. The noble lord caught his breath sharply as celestial light rose around him and the waters they stood in began to swirl. The gardens rumbled with the power of the king's released name, sending startled birds into the air around them and making the trees sway. The light around Hajime's body grew brighter and brighter, until it became a blinding white and the young lord had almost disappeared. He held tightly to the king, his body shaking softly as the released power wrapped around the two and slowly bound their souls together. It was as though his body had been peeled away, and he had become a part of the light itself. Power blazed through him and should have burned him away into nothing, but although he had become as light as the air itself, he still rested safely in the king's embrace, feeling a new and incredible depth in their bonding. He was left breathless as it fell over him that there was no space between their souls now. The two had truly been made one. He stared up into his king's beautiful face and could think of nothing at all to say.

"We are one now, my Hajime," the king whispered in his ear, "and we will never be parted again. Now, I know that it will seem trite after such a display, but I should like to have your hand in marriage, my love. Will you marry me, my Hajime?"

"M-my lord," whispered Hajime, a tear of joy rolling down one lovely cheek, "My lord, it would be the greatest of honors!"

"Then…you will?"

Hajime's eyes lit from within and his face glowed with happiness.

"Yes, my lord!" Hajime answered, taking his beloved kings face in his hands and kissing him, "Yes! Forever, yes!"

The king's mouth fastened on the Kuchiki lord's, stopping his words, and strong arms dragged Hajime down into the water. He met the king's kisses with like ferocity, his pale thighs parting and his slender body wrapping itself tightly around his lord's as the king dropped to his knees. His eyes closed and he clung to the monarch, accepting readily the hard thrust of his lord's tongue between his parted lips. The king sank into the sweet depths of the noble's mouth, enjoying every precious inch. His hands roamed the noble's body, relearning each lovely curve and hollow. Hajime's hands trembled softly as they reclaimed the divine flesh they had been denied for hundreds of years. He broke away from the king's lips and buried his face in his lover's shoulder, surrendering to a haze of silent tears. The king felt his lover's body shudder with soft, aching sobs and took the noble's face in his hands.

"Hajime," he whispered gently, "Hajime, what is wrong? You have returned to me. I have finally given you my name and we have soul bonded so that we will never be torn apart like that again. What cause do we have for tears on such a day?"

"I am sorry, my lord," Hajime said, turning his head aside and trying to brush the tears away, only to find that more were falling and his chest refused to stop its heaving, "I don't know what is wrong with me. For hundreds of years, I waited in darkness and was never tempted to shed tears over this fate. And I felt no fear as I faced what I had to to return to your side. But it is as though the pain simply gathered inside and finally now that all requirement is done, the weight of it leaves me undone."

The king shook his head and smiled sadly.

"There is no shame in your tears, my Hajime," he said, recapturing the noble's face and brushing them away with softened lips, "You suffered greatly as you were made to lay down your life on my behalf, and even in dying, you honored me. You paid for your love and loyalty with your very lifeblood. And never once did you falter in your path. You are everything my hands and my heart crafted you to be…and you are more, my blessed Hajime!"

The noble smiled and rested quietly in the king's arms, letting the closeness of his lover and the lovely warmth and beauty of the king's garden soothe him.

"I have only one regret," Hajime said softly, "I regret that we were not able to raise our Akemi together. But even though I know a sweep of my lord's hand could change that fate, I will not ask it. We have suffered too greatly to tempt fate by reliving those days. I would move forward from here, but carry the small weight of that lost childhood on my heart."

The king smiled and kissed Hajime.

"And as you carry that burden, so do I as well. No, you are wise in letting go of the past and moving forward. And in so doing, I will not return Akemi's childhood to you, but instead will bless you with children we _can_ raise together, my Hajime. Only speak that desire and they are yours."

Hajime lifted his head and brushed his face affectionately against the king's.

"My mission placed me close to my descendant, Byakuya," Hajime said quietly, "And in our time together, he shared with me what a great thing it was to bear children of his own body. If it pleases my lord, I would like to have our children in that way."

The king smiled warmly and nodded.

"Then if you wish it, we shall be married and on our wedding night, I will bless your body with children, my Hajime."

"My lord is gracious," replied the noble, "Arigato. But before we embrace our future, there is that which we must see to here. As much as I believe they will recover, I worry for our son and grandson. Akemi has suffered terribly at the hands of that hollow, and Renji was badly injured defending all of us who journeyed to Hueco Mundo to see to the royal heir, Hajime's, safe return. I believe we must see to their healing and only then take our steps forward."

"Ah," said the king, placing a hand on the noble's face and kissing him again, "We will see to the needs of all of our children…and they will all stand with us in the great hall as we take our vows together, Hajime. This, I promise you."

"Then I shall put my worries at rest," said Hajime, "and with my lord, reclaim the love that has waited hundreds of years to be acknowledged."

He met the king's lips for a torrent of hot, wet kisses, half closing his eyes and letting his fingers trail down his lord's body to where their awakening members lay against each other. He wrapped his hand around both, and stroked them feverishly, kissing the king's mouth harder and moaning delightedly as his lord's hands moved to prepare him for their lovemaking.

"M-my lord," moaned the noble, as the king's fingers prepared him, "My king. My heart aches too much for having waited so long. I can wait no longer. I surrender!"

He lifted himself and brought himself down onto the smiling monarch's thickened arousal, loosing a small gasp of pain and barely feeling the motion as he was laid down on his back in the warm water. He raised his hips roughly, meeting every deep heavy thrust and moaning heatedly as the king laced his fingers together with the barely coherent noble's and loosed his full strength on his lover. Hajime's passionate cries filled the air around them as the king's body fed his with the full release of hundreds of years of passion denied them. The king's length found the center of pleasure inside the noble and Hajime's cries rose into beautiful screams of pleasure. The king's lips found his and devoured the sound hungrily, then kissed their way to the shell of an ear as Hajime found himself suspended on the edges of complete bliss.

"It is safe here," the king assured him, "I want you to speak my name."

With complete trust and with no hesitation, the Kuchiki lord yielded his lover's name, then clung to the king, gasping and shuddering with pleasure as the power exploded around them, soundly shaking the length and breadth of the spirit realm and leaving the two lying limp and sated in each other's arms.

"Your love leaves me breathless, my lord," Hajime whispered.

The king laughed softly.

"You and I are divine, Hajime. We do not need to breathe, so my love is always yours."

They were quiet for a time then, listening to the sweet sounds of the birds, scenting the lovely smells of flowers and grass, and enjoying the sensual rush of the water that fell on their still entangled bodies. Finally, Hajime's eyes blinked and found his lord's questioningly.

"My lord," he said, smirking, "Do you think Sousuke Aizen felt that?"

"Oh," said the monarch, his eyes narrowing, "I _know_ he did. He feels it every time I touch you. That is his eternal punishment for placing his hands on you."

"Well then," said the noble, his eyes glinting, "Let's punish him some more, ne?"

The king laughed heartily.

"Hajime, that is wicked," he said in loving rebuke.

"Then after you have punished him, my lord, feel free to punish me."


	17. The Fate We Make

The spirit king and the elder Hajime sat quietly at their son's side, Akemi's hand held warmly in theirs. Hajime leaned against the king, his dark blue eyes focused on their son's face, his body in a state of forced calm as they waited. On the bed, the young Hajime knelt next to his grandfather and focused his healing power on the man. Very slowly, Akemi's eyes blinked and focused on the spirit king and the noble at his side.

"Wh-where am I?" he asked softly, "Did I…die? Is this place…?"

"You are home, Akemi," Hajime told him quietly, "You are no longer in that dark place."

"H-home?" Akemi repeated, "But…this is not Inuzuri…"

"You were told by your father that you are not his son," Hajime the elder continued, "You were told never to speak of it until your parents revealed themselves to you. It is all right now. You have come home, and it is time for you to know yourself. You are Akemi, son of the spirit king and Hajime Kuchiki. I am Hajime."

Akemi didn't need to ask who the man at Hajime's side was. He sat up slowly, gazing at the two in stunned silence.

"B-but…my father," the man said finally, "He told me nothing of my parentage, but he told me of his friend, the noble Hajime Kuchiki, who was killed defending his king. How is it that you are here? And how am I here? The last thing I remember was being eaten by that hollow!"

Hajime smiled.

"It is a long story. However, the truth of it is that the ancient sakura, the natural mother of the Kuchiki clan, prevented me from passing over into death. I was preserved in another dimension and brought back through the efforts of Byakuya Kuchiki to protect his son, the young Hajime, who is also your grandson."

Young Hajime smiled and let his power fade. Akemi stared at the boy, then at the king and elder Hajime.

"I see I have a great deal of catching up to do," he mused, "But…if the younger Hajime is my grandson, then that means…my Renji…is alive?"

The king nodded.

"Your brave act saved him. He grew up into a powerful shinigami and now leads the fifth division of the Gotei 13. He is married to Byakuya Kuchiki and the two have six children, including Hajime."

"Are they here as well?" Akemi asked, looking around, "I would like very much to see them!"

"All in good time," the elder Hajime said, squeezing his hand, "You need to rest. You were trapped inside that hollow for many years before we were able to rescue you. Your reiatsu and physical form will require several weeks of treatments before you will be up and around."

"I want to see Renji," said Akemi, "I need to know he is all right."

"Renji is in the Seireitei, recovering from injuries he sustained during your and young Hajime's rescue," said the elder Hajime, "but the king assures me that he will be all right. Rest easy, Akemi. You need to focus on getting well. Everything else can wait."

"In the meantime," the king said, smiling, you can certainly get to know us, and your young grandson. I would introduce more of Byakuya and Renji's children, but Takeshi and Chisaki are on their way back to the Seireitei to check on the others who were involved in the rescue. Do not worry, Akemi. We will all be together soon."

"I want that very much," Akemi said, settling back against the pillows and sighing, "I missed seeing my son grow up. I know there is no bringing back that time. We can only go on from here."

Hajime's eyes met Akemi's with deep sadness and understanding.

"His majesty and I missed seeing you grow up, Akemi. But it has been a joy to know your son, our grandson. He favors you…and my lord."

Akemi smiled.

"My father was not able to tell me of the king…I see now, for my own protection. But he spoke often of you," he said, taking Hajime's hand, "He said he never met a man of such humility…loyalty…courage. He told me not to believe what was said about you, that lies surrounded your death, but the truth would someday be told. I am so glad to have reached those days, and I look forward to knowing you…both of you…and this wonderful family built in my absence."

My son," the king said softly, taking Akemi's hand and then Hajime's, "you may have been gone from our presence, but you were always in our hearts. And Hajime and I are also glad to have reached the day of your return. It is a time for healing…and a time to be thankful. Every new day we have together is a gift. We are so happy you have come home."

"I am happy to be home," Akemi sighed, wrapping an arm around each of them and holding them close.

XXXXXXXXXX

Captain Unohana entered the waiting room and smiled at Takeshi, Chisaki and Shoji. The young shinigamis gazed back at her worriedly, waiting.

"Well," said the healer, "I am pleased to report that despite Takeo's questionable decision to leave the healing center when he did and to undertake more battle, he is going to make a full recovery. Captain Kuchiki also, though he sustained moderate injuries, managed to escape his confrontation with Sousuke Aizen with no serious injuries."

"Wh-what about Renji?" asked Chisaki, her voice shaking.

The healer nodded bracingly.

"I will be honest with you. Captain Abarai's injuries are quite serious. But he is enduring his treatments well and he is resting comfortably. He will require a longer stay in the fourth division, but he will also recover fully."

"Can we see them?" asked Takeshi, glancing down the hallway behind her.

"You are welcome to see Takeo right away. He has regained consciousness following his treatment and he should be able to fill you in on what happened after you parted ways. Your fathers are together and Captain Kuchiki is conscious. Obviously, he is obsessively focused on Captain Abarai's condition, but I assured him that all of you were all right. He was asking about Hajime, though."

"When you see him, please tell him that Hajime is fine. And also, Akemi and the elder Hajime are recovering as well."

"That is good news," said the healer, "I will make sure that Captain Kuchiki is informed. If you will excuse me, I will see to that right away."

She turned away and headed down the hallway. A moment later, an attendant met the three and led them to Takeo's room. Their brother was heavily bandaged and looked horridly pale, but smiled when he saw them and lifted himself to rest with his back against the pillows.

"You're back," he said in a deeply relieved tone.

Takeshi and Chisaki nodded wordlessly.

"And our Hajime and the others?" he asked.

"Our little brother is fine," Chisaki told him, blinking away happy tears, "We would have brought him home with us, but the healers in the spirit dimension needed his powers to help speed Akemi's healing. The elder Hajime is well, too, and has finally been reunited with the king. They all sent their greetings…and their congratulations."

Takeshi nodded.

"The rise of your ban kai was sensed in the spirit dimension and Shoji described it to us. It sounds…amazing."

Chisaki stepped forward and wrapped her arms around their brother.

"Thank you for protecting them," she said, tears leaking onto her face, "We were so worried!"

"Have you heard anything about how they're doing?" asked Takeo.

"They're both going to be okay," explained Takeshi, "Byakuya is already awake. Renji was hurt more seriously, but is expected to make a full recovery. He is still unconscious."

Takeo's lips tightened.

"He looked really bad when we got here…and Byakuya wouldn't allow them to be separated," he said softly, "He was afraid Renji was going to die, I think."

"Well, he'll be okay," Shoji said reassuringly, "He just needs time to heal. He'll be fine."

"Yeah, I know," Takeo sighed, shifting and wincing, "My head knows that, but…"

"It was really scary seeing him get hit like that," Chisaki finished, wiping her eyes, "He was very brave."

She slipped a hand into Takeo's and kissed his cheek.

"You were really brave too," she added, "Our dads wouldn't have made it home if it weren't for you."

"It took all of us to take back what was ours and to get out of there alive," Takeo said softly, "We were lucky."

"Yeah," agreed Takeshi, smiling, "but Aizen and Gin weren't. Las Noches has been oddly silent since the battle. I'd like to think that meant they were gone for good, but…"

"You know Sousuke Aizen…" sighed Chisaki.

"Yeah," said Takeshi, shaking his head, "I think we all know that guy way too well."

"Well, Byakuya really stood up to him," said Takeo, "I think he was surprised…and I think he'll think twice before coming after us again!"

"I hope so," said Chisaki worriedly, "He is such an evil man…and he hates us."

Takeshi slipped an arm around his twin sister's shoulders.

"It doesn't matter," he assured her, "It's like Byakuya always tells us. Together we are strong enough to come through any danger. We'll just stick together and we'll be all right."

Chisaki gave her brothers a relieved smile and rested her head on Takeshi's shoulder.

"I'm sure you're right," she said softly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sousuke Aizen laid in his bed next to a barely conscious Gin, flinching as his healer addressed the slashes left on his body from Byakuya's attacks. He fumed silently, hating that he had to admit to himself that Byakuya had, indeed, grown much stronger. Strangely, despite the burning anger it caused, there remained a touch of nostalgia. He thought back to the soft, submissive creature he had been during his captivity in Las Noches and a part of him longed to be with that incarnation of the noble again. But Byakuya as he was now did not seem likely to revert to that older, weaker and more docile version. He remained a challenge, however. And therefore, he would eventually need to be dealt with.

A flash image of the elder Hajime Kuchiki interrupted his thoughts about Byakuya and the leader of the hollows encountered a whole new reason to be enraged. He realized now what Hajime had referred to as 'the price he would pay.' The king's lover appeared nearly every time he slept, his beautiful moonlit form as enticing and lovely as he remembered it, but he was always tantalizingly beyond Aizen's reach. And he was well aware that the disturbance he had felt even during some waking moments, the times when he sensed the joining of Hajime's body with the king's was another facet of that price. He considered it a reminder of his goals not yet achieved. And when he broke into the spirit realm and finally killed the king, he would have an eternity of bliss, buried in Hajime's body. Maybe, he thought, he would have the entire Kuchiki line brought to the spirit dimension and reclassify their clan as a line of royal whores to lie in the beds of all of his offspring. It was right, he thought, that the clan that most supported his enemy should be made to serve him in as humiliating a way as possible. After all, it was because of numerous members of that damned clan that he and Gin laid injured.

He wasn't going to forget that…

And someday…

"Someday you will all pay…"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya opened his eyes and turned his head, slowly focusing on the red-haired man in the bed next to his. Renji's eyes were closed and his only movement consisted of the slow rise and fall of his breathing. The noble ignored the immediate discomfort of moving and left his bed to move closer to his soul bonded. Standing made his ears ring loudly and his legs threatened to collapse beneath him, so he crawled in next to the redhead, careful not to jostle him, then carefully moved Renji's broken arm to elevate it slightly by letting it rest on his side. The movement caused a sluggish reaction in the redhead and his brown eyes opened and struggled to focus on Byakuya.

"It's…over?" he asked in a barely audible voice.

Byakuya's dark eyes fixed on his.

"Yes," he assured the redhead, "We are home, now…well, at the healing center, anyway."

"K-kids?"

"The children are all fine. Takeo is resting here at the healing center. He's going to be fine."

"Kid's…r-realy…s-something, ne?" Renji managed.

"He is," agreed the noble, "His ban kai was amazing, wasn't it?"

Renji gave his hand a trembling squeeze and managed a short nod.

"Th' twins?"

"Captain Unohana said that Takeshi and Chisaki have returned from the spirit dimension and they are in with Takeo now. Word came from Karakura Town that although hollows attacked and destroyed Urahara's shop while we were gone, he, Ichigo, Rukia and Yoruichi got Akiko and Akane to safety. They will be coming home after I am released from the healing center. They are fine, Renji. Our Hajime is still in the spirit dimension. The healers there needed his help in treating your father. The elder Hajime will be escorting him back as soon as that is done."

"M-my father is…?"

"Your father is going to be fine also. He needs to be carefully monitored for a while as he readjusts to being in his own body, but he is making good progress."

Renji's fingers moved slightly, stroking his.

"And you?"

Byakuya rested his head on Renji's shoulder.

"I am all right…a bit beat up perhaps, but not terribly damaged."

"Y'look beautiful…strong."

Byakuya tightened an arm around him and buried his face in the redhead's shoulder to hide a soft, unbidden sob.

"Not as strong as you looked, defending all of us like that. You were stunning, Renji Abarai. Once again, you reminded me why I am never letting go of you!" the noble whispered in the redhead's ear.

He shifted his pain-wracked body and found Renji's lips. Renji lifted his broken arm and tried to touch the noble's hair, but made a sound of surprise as the cast struck Byakuya's head, making his soul bonded, gasp softly and wince. He focused on the offending hand and it registered that the cast was there.

"S-sorry," he laughed, then winced again, "Bastard g-got m'sword arm, ne?"

Byakuya managed a pained chuckle.

"He got more than that, Abarai," he said, reprovingly, "There's this whole thing called dodging that you seemed to forget all about…"

"But if I had dodged…he mighta hit you…or th'kids."

Byakuya smiled sadly and nodded.

"Yes, he might have. But we might have been fine dodging on our own."

"I wasn't takin' chances."

"No, you were ready to sacrifice everything to protect us. And as much as I hate that you had to get hurt like this, I love you so much for doing that, Renji."

The two exchanged several kisses, then Renji's uninjured hand curved around Byakuya's face.

"I want you."

Byakuya's eyes widened.

"What?"

"You heard me, Kuchiki. I s-said…I want you."

The noble glared at him.

"No! Certainly not with you in this condition. You're hurt badly and barely even conscious! I think you need to have your head examined…" the noble said, stiffly.

Renji gave him a pained smile.

"You want t'do that for me?" he breathed in the noble's ear.

He laughed at the flustered look Byakuya gave him and the blush on the noble's face and throat. The flush deepened as he shifted slightly and his hardened member rubbed against the noble's leg.

"Renji…please," Byakuya whispered, "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't hurt me," Renji assured him, "Now come here. I want to be with you."

Byakuya gave him a tormented look and Renji frowned.

"Don't look at me like that, Bya. I'm not broken, just a little banged up."

"A little?" Byakuya said breathlessly as the redhead opened his yukata and started to nudge him with his uninjured hand.

The noble gave him a look of reproach, but lifted himself and carefully straddled his lover's body. He held himself away, only allowing his length and inner thighs to make contact.

"Fine," he hissed defeatedly, "but when you die from internal bleeding, don't blame me!"

Renji groaned softly and wrapped a hand around Byakuya's white bottom.

"Okay, I won't blame you," he said, lifting his head slightly to capture the noble's frowning lips.

Byakuya shifted, raising his hips, then settled slowly onto the redhead's swollen member, biting his lips and feeling twinges of guilt as Renji winced and caught his breath. He waited until his lover seemed relatively comfortable again, then gazed down into the redhead's affectionate eyes and began to move slowly up and down on his length. Renji sighed happily, his breath shortening and his eyelids fluttering softly.

"I love being inside you," he whispered, almost incoherently, "You're so hot inside…and your body holds mine so tightly…Bya. I don't care if it hurts. Even if it kills me, I want to feel that. Now get that worried look off your face and make love to me," he whispered.

"You really are crazy, Renji," Byakuya panted softly, "I can't believe I'm actually going along with this…"

Renji's stroked and caressed until the noble gasped and the arms that held his upper body away from Renji's trembled. The noble gave a soft, surprised cry as Renji's hips pushed upward and the redhead grabbed his hip and held him in place, filling him with the hot pulses of his release. Byakuya's lips parted and Renji stared as soft, beautiful sounds of completion left him and hot seed erupted from his still undulating form.

"I love watching that," Renji whispered, touching the noble's trembling lips and coaxing him in for several deep, wet kisses, "Seeing you surrender to pleasure I'm giving you…it's the best thing about making love with you."

"Will you please rest now?" the noble pleaded softly, "I want you to come home soon."

Renji grinned, nodded and closed his eyes.

Byakuya lifted himself away gingerly and carefully cleaned away the remains of their lovemaking, then crawled back in next to Renji, working his way into the deeply sleeping redhead's arms and resting a weary head on his shoulder.

"Seeing your face while you sleep after we make love," he whispered, "is the thing that I enjoy most about making love with you, Renji…because I can see how happy it makes you. And that is what I want more than anything. I want to make you happy."

He caught his breath softly as Renji's fingers laced together with his and tightened.

"You do," he whispered back, "Every day we're together…you make me the happiest man alive, Bya."

"Shut up and sleep," the noble reprimanded him gently.

But he couldn't hide the smile that found itself on his lips.

XXXXXXXXXX

Epilogue: Generations

(Six Weeks Later)

The house guards stood at attention and opened the manor gates to admit two large, white horses, one bearing the two Hajimes and the other carrying Renji's father, Akemi. They proceeded into the courtyard, where they were met by Byakuya and the full contingent of his and Renji's children.

"Renji is waiting in the gardens," Byakuya told them, "Standing and walking are still quite painful for him, but he is making good progress."

The elder Hajime helped his young namesake down and watched him scamper away, then he lifted himself and dismounted, waiting as Akemi followed and moved to join him.

"I'm so anxious to see Renji," Akemi said softly, "I don't even what to expect. I've heard so many amazing things…"

Byakuya met Akemi's eyes warmly.

"And I assure you, Renji is everything you have heard and more. Come, let's not keep the two of you waiting anymore."

They left the courtyard and followed the walkway into the gardens. They slowed as they approached the garden patio, and Akemi stepped forward, his eyes widening as they took in the sight of the red-haired, tattooed captain of the fifth division.

Renji's eyes met his and he started to rise, but Akemi shook his head and moved to sit down in the chair in front of him. The others watched quietly for a moment, then moved away to give the two time to talk alone.

Akemi stared at Renji silently for several long minutes before reaching out and taking his hand.

"Renji…" he breathed almost soundlessly.

Renji stared back as though hypnotized, taking in the notes of himself, Hajime and the king that were reflected in the man sitting in front of him and searching for what he should say.

"Even had I not been told, I think I would have recognized you instantly," Akemi went on.

"Dad," Renji said, trying the name out in a near whisper.

"I am sorry," Akemi said softly, squeezing the redhead's hand, "I am sorry that it had to be so long before we could be together. I understand your childhood was quite difficult."

"That wasn't your fault," Renji assured him, "You couldn't help what happened…and what you did, saved my life."

He sighed softly.

"I think I did okay. I had friends. I grew up and went to the shinigami…and I fell in love. I just feel sad that you weren't there. I don't blame you. If not for what you did, I would have died that day. I just wish that we could have been together."

"Well," said Akemi, "We are together now. Because of things related to my being held inside the hollow for so long, I still must remain for the most part, in the spirit dimension. But I will come to see you and Byakuya and your children when I can. And my fathers and I hope that you will join us in the spirit dimension on occasion as well."

"Of course we will," Renji promised.

"It's odd," Akemi went on, "It seems like no time passed while I was gone…as though I only turned my back and my little red-haired baby grew up and became a captain. I almost don't know what to feel. But what I feel most…is proud. I knew you would be strong. And I see I was right."

"Yeah," said Renji, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around his father, "Well, I got that from you."

XXXXXXXXXX

Hajime stood by the back gate, next to Byakuya, looking across the garden to where Akemi and Renji sat with their arms around each other.

"It's good to see them together like this," he said quietly, "Akemi carries a great weight on his heart from having been separated from his son for so long."

"And if anyone would understand such a thing, it would be you," Byakuya added.

Hajime yielded a grateful smile and nodded.

"Byakuya," he went on, "I haven't yet properly thanked you for helping to bring me back. I lived for so long in darkness and emptiness. I missed being with his majesty…and I missed seeing our child grow up. We cannot bring those things back, but we are all moving forward. Thank you for giving me the chance to do that."

He took a soft breath.

"His majesty has asked me to become his royal consort and I have accepted. I hope that you and Renji, and all of your children will come to celebrate with us. We are so happy to have been given this second chance. Despite what we had to go through, there is great beauty in our lives now…and we intend to make the most of it."

"We will as well," Byakuya agreed, nodding, "Though we still must concern ourselves with Sousuke Aizen."

"Yes…him," Hajime said, narrowing his eyes, "His majesty assures me that Sousuke Aizen is concerned only with his own recovery for now. In addition, he suffers a great deal of discomfort as punishment for attempting to molest me. It won't completely halt his attempts to undo us, but it will slow him. In any case, now that we are together, we are strong enough to oppose him. And as repayment for you helping me to return, you need only call my name and I will appear to raise my sword in your defense. Don't worry about Aizen. He cannot defeat both of us and he knows it. And knowing that I will appear when you are in need will make him wary."

"Arigato, Hajime," Byakuya said gratefully, "You put my mind at ease."

"We are at peace for now and we are healing," the king's lover said softly, "but when the time for battle comes again, we will be ready. And we will not fail. Not ever."


End file.
